Blackpool: From the courts 17-02-17

Richard Reeve, 38, burglary

A thief deliberately targeted expensive bicycles and tools in garages and sheds in Blackpool, a court was told,

Richard Reeve took one £800 bike which was also of great sentimental value as it was the last gift a man had received from his father.

Reeve, 38, of Hillside, Matlock, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to burglary of a garage at an address on the resort’s Scudamore Crescent taking tools, batteries and a bike and burgling a shed on Carlyle Avenue stealing tools.

He also asked for six burglaries, where bicycles or tools valued at thousands of pounds were stolen, to be taken into consideration. In addition he admitted two offences of theft from a car.

Prosecutor, Malcolm Isherwood, told magistrates: “The Crown says bicycles and tools were targeted and there are elements in the case of professional burglary.”

Reeve had gone equipped for crime unscrewing hinges on doors and hiding goods until it was safe to return for them.

In one example Reeve took two racing bikes which were chained together.

He hid them and then returned with bolt-cutters to separate and sell them.

On another occasion Reeve targeted an £800 bicycle in a shed where he had to move two other bikes to get to it.

That bike had been a man’s last gift from his father.

The owner believed are Reeve must have had help as he had to get the bike over 6ft high gates with spikes on and the way cars were parked nearby it would have taken two to lift it over.

Kathryn Jamieson-Sinclair, defending, said her client did not accept stealing an i-Pad during one theft from a car.

Reeve was bailed to March 15 for sentence at Preston Crown Court.

He must live at his given address as a condition of his bail.

Callum Holden, 22, theft

A man was spotted on CCTV stealing a bottle of wine from a store on New Year’s Day.

Callum Holden, 22, of Brisbane Place, Anchorsholme, pleaded guilty to theft.

He was sentenced to pay £10 compensation by magistrates who imposed no other penalty.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said a staff member saw Holden come into McColls, Anchorsholme Lane East, Anchorsholme on January 1. He hid a bottle of Lambrini under his coat and walked out. He had 19 previous convictions for theft and similar offences.

David Charnley, defending, said Holden had been drinking before committing the offence and was with others when he did it.

Mr Charnley added: “He has now become the father to a baby daughter, born last week.

“Hopefully he will take on responsibility and turn his life around.”

Joanne Humphries, 36, theft

A mother’s determination to end her drug habit allowed her to escape going to jail.

Blackpool Magistrates were impressed with the the way mother-of-three Joanne Humphries was taking counselling and had re-started a relationship with her children.

The 36-year-old was due to have a suspended jail term invoked after she admitted stealing perfume from Boots’ store on Bank Hey Street.

But the court heard that although she was going to sell the perfume it was not to raise cash for heroin it was for food and to get some electricity.

Gerry Coyle, defending, said: “She has shown her mother who has been looking after her children that she can get clean - drug free.

“She has a bad record but some of that was to feed her former boyfriend’s habit and he has now died.”

Humphries was placed on an eight weeks curfew .

Callum Thomson, 18, theft

A drunken 18-year-old went into a Tesco store and stole wraps and a banana.

Callum Thomson was one of a trio of teenagers who entered the store after drinking vodka.

Thomson of Slinger Road, Cleveleys admitted shoplifting £10 of goods from the Victoria Road West store.

He was put on an eight week curfew and ordered to pay £10 compensation and £170 costs.

Neil Rogers, 46, theft

A man accused of stealing a tin of Quality Street and a tin of Celebrations chocolates valued at £10 from a Co-op shop was not present at the first hearing of his case.

Neil Rogers, 46, of Airdrie Place, Bispham, had his case adjourned.

Aiden Taylor, 23, possessing an imitation firearm

A man accused of having a gun in central Blackpool has made his first appearance at court.

Aiden Taylor, 23, of Raikes Parade, Blackpool, is charged with possessing an imitation firearm in the form of a gas-powered ball bearing gun in Adelaide Street on January 28.

Taylor was bailed for further inquiries into his case.

Joseph Cooper, 31, assault

An accounts clerk launched a vicious unprovoked attack on a bar supervisor while celebrating the New Year.

Joseph Cooper punched the supervisor at Guy’s Thatched Hamlet, Bilsborrow, so hard that doctors at first though his cheekbone had been broken.

Cooper, 31, of Oxbridge Road, Cottam, Preston, pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm. He had a previous conviction for causing actual bodily harm.

He was sentenced to 16 weeks jail suspended for 12 months, ordered to do 120 hours unpaid work for the community and told to pay £200 compensation to his victim with £85 costs plus £115 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said the bar’s supervisor at Guy’s Thatched Hamlet noticed a disturbance among the revellers and saw a man with a cut on his nose on January 1 at 1.45am.

The supervisor was trying to calm the situation when out of the blue Cooper punched him on the side of his face. He was taken to hospital where medics at first believed his cheekbone was fractured but it turned out not to be broken.

There was publicity on social media about the assault and Cooper handed himself in to the police.

When interviewed Cooper said his best friend had been hit and was bleeding. Another group came towards him and in panic and fear he struck a man.

Gareth Price, defending, told the court his client said he had been in fear but he accepted there were other things he could have done than punching the victim and he wanted to apologise personally to him.

Cooper had not known he was a member of staff and believed he might be part of the group who had been causing trouble. Since the incident he had not been out socially.