Blackpool: From the courts 20-03-17

Here is a round-up of some of the cases at Blackpool Magistrates Court.
Blackpool Magistrates CourtBlackpool Magistrates Court
Blackpool Magistrates Court

Philip Hilton, 50, assault

A man who had been celebrating his birthday slapped his girlfriend across the head when they took the bus home.

Philip Hilton, 50, of Victoria Road West, Cleveleys, pleaded guilty to an offence of assault.

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He was sentenced to a 12 months community order with up to 25 days rehabilitation to be supervised by the probation service and fined £25 with £85 costs plus £85 victims’ surcharge by magistrates.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said the couple, who had been together for five years, had gone shopping and then for some drinks on February 23.

Hilton had drunk about five pints and as they sat on the bus home he hit his girlfriend across the head out of the blue for no reason.

Howard Green, defending, said: “I think in his drunken state he intended to be playful but he clearly hit her harder than he intended. He admits it was unacceptable.”

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Daniel McCutcheon, 28, theft

A cleaner was caught out when office staff installed a hidden CCTV camera in their premises after noticing items going missing.

Daniel McCutcheon was captured by the covert camera pocketing a 20 dollar bill and later confessed to taking a £25 gift voucher.

McCutcheon, 28, of Durley Road, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to an offence of theft.

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He was given a 12 months conditional discharge and ordered to pay £25 compensation with £85 costs plus £20 victims’ surcharge by magistrates.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said McCutcheon was employed by a cleaning firm which did work for the Blackpool firm Voitec.

Voitec staff noticed items going missing from their offices and installed a camera which captured McCutcheon taking a 20 dollar bill. The cleaning firm was told and McCutcheon was sacked the next day.

Hugh Pond, defending, said his client had struggled to get a job after coming out of prison in 2012 but had eventually found work with the cleaning company.

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McCutcheon had seen the 20 dollar bill and gift voucher and stupidly succumbed to temptation and pocketed them.

Abbie Keegan, 24, drink-driving

A drunken driver crashed into a van in her home road in Cleveleys.

Abbie Keegan, 24, of Richmond Avenue, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

She was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £270 with £85 costs plus £30 victims’ surcharge by magistrates.

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Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said a couple who lived on Richmond Avenue heard a crash on January 29 at 5.30am and looked out to see Keegan’s Ford Fiesta had smashed into a parked van.

Keegan left the accident scene but was brought back by her father. A breath test showed 54 micrograms of alcohol in her body - 35 is the limit.

Hugh Pond, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, had a disagreement with her boyfriend over the phone,

She was very depressed and she got in her car and drove it a short distance before colliding with the van. She then ran back to her home. Keegan no longer had a car as she could not afford to get her vehicle repaired.

Stephen Taylor, 23, criminal damage

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A man caused almost £1,000 of damage to glass doors at Marks and Spencer on Christmas Day.

Stephen Taylor, 23, of High Street, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to causing damage.

He was sentenced to pay £995.30 compensation by magistrates who imposed no other penalty.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said on December 25 about 5am a man heard glass smashing and saw Taylor on the floor crying outside Marks and Spencer, Victoria Street, where several glass doors had been smashed.

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He had been out drinking and had had arguments with people, so he recklessly kicked out at the shop’s glass doors.

Shaun Oxbury, 29, assault

A man pushed his girlfriend backwards after an argument about her becoming drunk while they were on a night out in Blackpool.

Shaun Oxbury, a 29-year-old labourer, of Grasmere Terrace, Abram, Wigan, pleaded guilty to assault.

He was sentenced to a 12 weeks curfew from 9pm to 5am and ordered to pay £85 costs with £85 victims’ surcharge by District Judge David Murray.

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Prosecutor, Sarah Perkins, said a door supervisor at the resort’s The Counting House pub saw Oxbury push a woman backwards February 25. He also dragged the woman away, grabbed her arms and pushed her again.

When interviewed, Oxbury, who said he had drunk beer, wine, spirits and shots, told police he had argued with his girlfriend because she was so intoxicated.

Steven Townley, defending, said the incident had been totally out of character for Oxbury who had no previous convictions.

The couple had talked to each other since the incident and both wanted to put the matter behind them as soon as possible.

Isaac Freudenberger, 22, drug-driving

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A student stopped on the motorway at Blackpool after a day out in the resort had been smoking cannabis.

Isaac Freudenberger, 22, of Caldbeck Avenue, Bolton, pleaded guilty to drug driving.

He was banned from the road for 12 months and fined £120 with £85 costs plus £30 victims’ surcharge by magistrates.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said police stopped Freudenberger on January 7 at 9.10pm, while he was driving a Vauxhall Astra with three passengers, at junction four of the M55.

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Police suspected Freudenberger had been using drugs and a blood test showed 8.7 units of cannabis in his body - the specified limit is two.

Hugh Pond, defending, said his client, who was doing computer studies at university, had been stopped in a routine check.

Freudenberger had been totally frank with police and admitted smoking a cannabis joint less than an hour previously.

Mr Pond added: “He has come to the realisation cannabis smoking is illegal and gets him into trouble and he has stopped smoking it. He is very contrite about what he did.”

Daniel Morrissey-Hill, 19, assault

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A teenager has pleaded not guilty to two offences of assaulting his girlfriend on consecutive days.

Daniel Morrissey-Hill, 19, formerly of Eaves Street, North Shore, now of no fixed address, was bailed to May 19 for trial by District Judge David Murray. 
Morrissey-Hill must not contact the complainant or enter Eaves Street as conditions of his bail.