Blackpool: From the courts 30-04-18

A mother allowed her two sons and a daughter to play truant from school.

Emma Copeland told a pupil welfare officer that the two boys had suffered bouts of ill health and that her daughter had been to her grandmother’s in Kent at half-term and had to wait until someone could go and pick her up.

Copeland, a 35-year-old former pub worker, of Cocker Street, North Shore, was found guilty of two offences of knowingly failing to ensure a child’s regular attendance at school and one offence of failing to ensure a chid’s attendance at school after a trial in her absence.She was sentenced to a 12 months community order with up to 20 days rehabilitation to be supervised by the probation service and fined £10 with £85 victims’ surcharge.

Nicola Morgan, prosecuting for Blackpool Council’s education department, said the case concerned Copeland’s 10-year-old son who was a pupil at Westminster Primary School, her 13-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter, both pupils at Aspire Academy.

Between November last year and February this year the 10-year-old’s attendance rate was 76.4 percent and the 13-year-old’s 55.1 percent.

Between November 6 and 17 last year the daughter did not attend school. She had gone on an unauthorised holiday to her grandmother’s in Kent.

A pupil welfare officer had several meetings with Copeland. At these she told the officer the boys were suffering from various illnesses.

She had one previous conviction for failing to ensure a child’s regular attendance at school.

Christopher Dickson, 27, drunk and disorderly, breach of conditional discharge

A grieving man was arrested after drinking too much and shouting an obscene remark at a police officer.

Christopher Dickson, 27, of Carshalton Road, North Shore, was not present at court.

Pleas of guilty to being drunk and disorderly and breaching a conditional discharge for an offence of damage were entered on Dickson’s behalf by his solicitor.

He was fined £40 with £85 costs and ordered to pay £30 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said on April 1 about 11pm police were called to an address in the resort’s Fairfield Road where Dickson and two others were said to be fighting.

The householder said children were trying to sleep at the address and asked for the trio to be removed.

Dickson was drunk and argumentative but the trio eventually agreed to leave.

They returned minutes later and were making a lot of noise. Dickson asked for a lift from the police to an address and after being told he would have to get a taxi made an obscene remark to an officer.Brett Chappell, defending, said: “It was the anniversary of the death of a close family member and he admits drinking copious amounts of alcohol.”

Thomas Browne, 31, escaping from lawful custody

A man accused of going on the run for more than three years after escaping from Kirkham Prison has appeared in court.

Thomas Browne, 31, of Chatsworth Drive, Liverpool, is charged with escaping from lawful custody.

Browne, who was serving 10 years for a robbery which took place in Derby, was said to have been at large from February 25 2015 to April 25 this year.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said the case must be heard at crown court.

Browne was remanded in custody to appear at Preston Crown Court on May 30.

Ann Shallcross, 73, benefits fraud

A pensioner accused of illegally claiming £42,500 in benefits has made her first appearance at court.

Ann Shallcross is alleged not to have disclosed she had property in Spain and lived outside the United Kingdom for more than 28 days at the time.

Shallcross, 73, of Collyhurst Avenue, South Shore, is charged with dishonestly failing to notify the authorities that she spent more than 28 days living outside the UK and claimed Disability Living Allowance.

She is also accused of dishonestly making a false statement to obtain pension credit by not revealing she had capital assets outside the permitted limit as she had property in Spain.

The offences were alleged to have taken place between July 2008 and July 2016.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, asked for the case to be heard at crown court.

Michael Woosnam, defending, told magistrates: “She does not believe she has been dishonest and pleads not guilty to both offences.” Shallcross was bailed to appear at Preston Crown Court on May 30.