Blackpool: From the courts 02-02-18

Carla Pickett, 44, drink-driving

A mercy mission to take ill cats to a vets rebounded on a mother who was found to be just over the alcohol limit.

Carla Pickett, 44, of Ruthin Drive, Thornton, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

She was banned from the road for three years, fined £80 with £40 costs and ordered to pay £30 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said police stopped Pickett on January 12 at 9.50am, as she drove a Ford Ka on Whiteholme Road because she had a defective brake light.

An officer smelt alcohol on her breath when he spoke to her and a breath test revealed 41 micrograms of alcohol in her body - 35 is the limit.

She had a previous drink-drive conviction from 2015.

Stephen Duffy, defending, said his client had drunk alcohol the day before and thought she was free of the effects of it.

She drove so a friend could take his cats to the vets.

Michael Fairman, 27, breach of suspended prison sentence order

An offender threatened to firebomb the Blackpool probation offices.

Michael Fairman also said he would drag the probation receptionist over the desk and slice her up and give his female probation officer the biggest hiding of her life.

He made numerous threats to his probation officer saying he had sent for a gun and also threatened to stab his doctor, causing the GP’s Lytham Road medical practice to close for a time.

Fairman, 27, formerly of Linden Place, Bispham, now living in Braithwaite Road, Peterlee, County Durham, pleaded guilty to breaching a suspended prison sentence order.

He was jailed for 140 days.

Cheryl Crawford, defending, said Fairman had been sentenced to 140 days imprisonment suspended for 12 months with up to 25 days rehabilitation to be supervised by the probation service for offences of disqualified driving and assaulting a police officer.

On January 8 and 9 his behaviour towards his probation officer and other probation service staff was aggressive and he made numerous threats.

Richard Bradbury, 24, assault

A man who had taken the drug Spice twice kicked a policeman.

Richard Bradbury had been introduced to the drug while serving a prison sentence a court was told.

Bradbury, 24, formerly of Havelock Street, Blackpool, now living in Brocklehurst Avenue, Macclesfield pleaded guilty to assault on police.

He was sentenced to a nine weeks curfew from 8pm to 8am and ordered to pay £50 compensation to the officer with £85 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said police got a call stating Bradbury was unfit through Spice and his partner wanted him out of their address on January 14.

On being told it was the police trying to help him and get him up Bradbury kicked out again harder and caught the same officer on the shin.

When interviewed Bradbury said he had been smoking Spice since the afternoon and had little recall of what happened.

At the time of the offence he was on post prison sentence supervision for an offence of assault.

Suzanne Mugford, defending, told magistrates that Bradbury said when he was under the influence of Spice he was not in control his actions.

Bradbury said he had been introduced to the drug while serving a jail term.

He had since gone to get help from drug rehabilitation specialists and moved to live with his mother. He had not taken Spice for nine days.