Blackpool: From the courts 27-06-17

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

Scott Armer, 24, driving with excess alcohol

A hospitality worker crashed his car into a garden wall at Thornton after drinking.

Scott Armer, 24, of Devonshire Avenue, Thornton, who said he had just been approved as a personal licence holder, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He was banned from the road for 18 months and fined £300 with £85 costs plus £30 victims’ surcharge.Prosecutor, Matthew Siddall, said a house holder on Trunnah Road was woken by

the noise of Armer crashing a Ford Fiesta into his wall on May 22 just after midnight,

Armer was candid with police and said he had drunk a bottle of wine.

A breath test showed he was more than twice over the limit with 75 micrograms of alcohol in his body - 35 is the limit.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Armer, who had no previous convictions, told magistrates: “I was the one who rang the police to attend the scene and I went up and spoke to the home owners.

“It was my fault.

“I drove and it’s something I should I should not have done.

“I’ll have to stand the consequences.”

Luke Troy, 24, drug driving without insurance

A man who had been kidnapped as a child was caught driving while hugely over the drug limit.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Luke Troy was found with 47 micrograms of cannabis in his body - the legal limit is two.

Troy, 24, of Condor Grove, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to drug driving without insurance and not in accordance with his learner’s licence.

He was banned from the road for 20 months and fined £120 with £85 costs plus £30 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Matthew Siddall, said a Ford Focus Troy was driving on Ansdell Road showed as not insured and he was stopped by police on February 28 at 11am.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Troy admitted he had a provisional licence and he had smoked cannabis before driving.

Although Troy was significantly over the limit there was no suggestion from police his driving was impaired.Troy had previous convictions for possessing cannabis with intent to supply the drug.

Patrick Nelligan, defending, told magistrates: “He has mental health issues from when he was kidnapped as a small child. He deals with these symptoms with medication and using cannabis.”

The car Troy was driving belonged to him and he intended using it when he had passed his test.

He had already had 16 driving lessons.

He became upset after a relationship breakdown.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He had also not eaten for 16 hours before police stopped him.

Clare Snowden, 23, theft

A woman facing two offences of theft of speakers from Sainsburys was not present at court.

Clare Snowden, 23, of Withnell Road, South Shore, had her case adjourned.

Anna-Marie Billing, 44, theft

A young mother’s first holiday in seven years was ruined when she came to Blackpool and her handbag was stolen.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Anna-Marie Billing struck and took the £300 designer bag while the mum’s attention was distracted after her daughter ran off in an amusement centre.

Billing, a 44-year-old mother-of-two, of Clare Street, South Shore, pleaded guilty to theft and wept while waiting to be sentenced.

She was sentenced to a four weeks curfew from 7pm to 7am and ordered to pay £85 costs with £85 victims’ surcharge.

Presiding magistrate, Simon Bridge, told her: “This was a young family in a vulnerable position.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Prosecutor, Matthew Siddall, said the victim was with her partner and young daughter in Coral Island on May 20.

The mum’s attention was distracted when she had to go after her daughter, who ran off.

When she got back to the pram her £300 handbag was gone.

The prosecutor said: “It was the victim’s first holiday for seven years and she was very upset about what happened.”

A woman police officer recognised Billing from CCTV at the centre.

The bag was found at Billing’s home and she was arrested.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She had a record of 71 previous offences - 50 for theft and similar offences.

Brett Chappell, defending, said Billing had previously been addicted to heroin and alcohol but she was clean of both. She had not appeared before a court for three years.

Some years previously she had been been intoxicated while dropping off her children at school.

Social services had taken the children from her and they had been in foster care since 2012.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She had been devastated and tried everything she could think of to get her children back.

The defence added that Billing thought if she did something stupid, went to court and got involved with the probation service that the probation officers would help her get her children back.

So she had acted irrationally and taken the bag.

Hayley Northrop, 21, driving with excess alcohol

A woman was on a mercy mission to find a friend who had gone off with a group of unknown men when she was reported for driving erratically.

Hayley Northrop was tracked down by police and found asleep in her car and over the alcohol limit in Blackpool.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Northrop, 21, of North Dean Road, Keighley, Bradford, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

She was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £150 with £85 costs plus £30 victims’ surcharge.