Blackpool: From the courts 07-07-17

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

Lewis Danville, 21, failing to comply with post prison sentence supervision

A former prisoner has ended up back in jail because of his use of the drug Spice.

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Lewis Danville, who was said to have been first introduced to the drug while he was serving a prison sentence, failed to keep in touch with his probation officer because of the effect the use of Spice had on him.

Danville, 21, of Lytham Road, South Shore, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with post prison sentence supervision.

He was sentenced to 14 days in jail.

Presiding magistrate, Brian Nicholson, told him: “This is a case of wilful and persistent non-compliance with an order.”

The court was told that Danville had previously been given a custodial sentence for harassing a former girlfriend.

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Cheryl Crawford, prosecuting for the probation service, said after his release he failed to keep appointments with his probation officer or provide evidence to excuse his absences.

It was Danville’s third breach of the order and he had done only one hour of the 50 hours unpaid work for the community he had been ordered to do.

He eventually told his officer the reason for his non-attendance was because he was using Spice.

Patrick Nelligan, defending, said his client, who had suffered from mental health issues throughout his life and was prescribed mood-stabilising medication from his doctor, had an unenviable criminal record of 36 offences.

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Mr Nelligan added: “He has been misusing Spice, which I understand he started taking in prison. He is now not using the drug and getting help from specialists.”

Debbie MacKintosh, 33, failing to ensure child’s regular attendance at school

A mother has appeared at court for allowing her son to play truant from school regularly over the past two years.

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Debbie MacKintosh, 33, of Adelaide Street, Blackpool and Alison Street, Glasgow, was found guilty of failing to ensure a child’s regular attendance at school after a trial in her absence.

She was sentenced to a 12 weeks curfew between 9pm and 7am from Monday to Thursday when she lives in Scotland and ordered to pay £120 costs with £60 victims’ surcharge.

Nicola Morgan, prosecuting for Blackpool Council’s education department, said the defendant’s son attended Blackpool’s Educational Diversity. He was on a reduced timetable and only required to go to school in the afternoons.

He had attended on 27 out of a possible 61 occasions and his attendance rate was 44.3 percent between February 23 and June 20 last year.

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She had two previous convictions for failing to ensure his regular attendance at school, one from 2014 and the other from last year.

In a report to the court probation officer, Lesley Whittaker, said MacKintosh’s former partner and her aunt had died and her son had struggled with that, believing everyone he got close to would leave.

MacKintosh had used heroin since she was 21 and been prescribed the heroin substitute methadone for the past nine years. She was now clean and did not use street drugs.

She had tried many things to get her son to school, taking him there on the bus or in a taxi, waiting outside ensure he did not come out and punishing him when he did not attend by taking away his electrical equipment.

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Stephen Duffy, defending, said his client’s biological mother had died last year. She had been unofficially adopted by the woman her son now lived with while she spent her weekdays in Scotland and her weekends in Blackpool.

Tyler Cocker, 23, fishing without a licence

A man intends to fight an accusation that he was fishing illegally in Kirkham.

Tyler Cocker, 23, of Barnmeadow Lane, Great Harwood, Blackburn, was not present at court but had a plea of not guilty entered on his behalf to fishing with a rod and line without a licence on October 22 last year.

Stephen Duffy, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, said Cocker had sent in his time sheet for his employment at William Hill bookmakers which allegedly showed he was working about 30 minutes away from where a water bailiff had said he had seen him fishing illegally.

Cocker’s case was adjourned to fix a trial date.

Morgan Lewis, 19, breach of the peace

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A teenager was arrested after he threatened to put a bullet through his foster mother’s head.

Morgan Lewis, a former photographer’s assistant, of Ingleway Avenue, Layton, who had his 19th birthday on the day he appeared in court, pleaded guilty to breach of the peace.

He was bound over in the sum of £100 for 12 months.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said police got a report of a man waving a hammer in the street at Blackpool, making threats on July Tuesday at 4pm

Officers arrived to find Lewis in an agitated state but there was no sign of a hammer.

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He said: “It’s not just today. You need to take me away or something will happen. If she does not stop I’ll put a bullet through her head.”

Police saw Lewis’ foster mother who was shaken and upset. She told officers she thought Lewis was taking steroids or drugs.

Lewis told magistrates he had lived with his foster parents for 11 years but had not lived with them for the last two years.

He added “It was said in the heat of the moment. The words were not meant. I feel a bit of a child, reacting like a baby.”

Tim Arnold, 42, failing to comply with a community order

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A businessman breached a court order after he was told his uncle was terminally ill.

Tim Arnold, 42, of Markland Hill, Bolton, who runs an on-line business selling building products, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a community order.

An additional 20 hours unpaid work were added to his sentence and the community order was extended for six months.

The court was told Arnold had previously been sentenced to a 12 months community order with 110 hours unpaid work for the community for an offence of driving with excess alcohol.

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Brian Weatherington, prosecuting for the probation service, said Arnold had missed appointments with his probation officer and done just 33 hours of the payback work.

Adam Whittaker, defending, said his client moved address and his file was lost for three months.

Arnold’s uncle, who had been a father figure to him, was then diagnosed as terminally ill.

He moved back to Bolton to be near to him but admitted he had not kept his probation officer up to date. His uncle had died two weeks ago.