Blackpool: From the courts 09-03-17

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

A jealous man stalked his former girlfriend.

Alan Jones superglued her door-lock, put shaving foam over her house and was caught peeping through her windows.

Jones, 58, of Bond Street, South Shore, pleaded guilty to harassment.

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He was sentenced to do 50 hours unpaid work for the community, ordered to pay £85 costs with £85 victims’ surcharge and put on a five years restraining order which bans him from contacting his ex or going to her home street in Fleetwood.

Presiding magistrate, Judy Buck, told him: “You may be nursing a damaged heart but you are going to have to chalk it up to one of life’s experiences.”

Prosecutor, Sarah Perkins, said Jones’ ex said they had a short relationship and broke up because he was excessively jealous.

Jones then sent her numerous messages and she had to change her phone number.

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He squirted shaving foam over her house and put a £5 note through her letterbox.

After he superglued her door lock and cut her television wires he was given a caution by police, but on February 27 Jones’ ex caught him peering through her windows and alerted police.

He told officers: “I was not contacting her. I was just looking in her window.”

Gerry Coyle, defending, told magistrates: “Love is blind and he was in love with her. He lent her £800 and did not get a penny back.”

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Jones, who was working on dodgem car rides in the season, had spent 24 hours in custody and was remorseful for what he had done.

He had accepted the relationship was over and had written the money off.

Marcin Michalec, 35, assault and criminal damage

A man lost his temper after he and his wife went out to a club and she danced with another man.

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Marcin Michalec then pushed her to the ground in the street and later cut up her bank card.

Michalec, a 35-year-old baker, formerly of Smithy Mews, North Shore, now living at Lord Street, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to assaulting wife, and damaging her bank card. The proceedings were relayed to him in Polish by an interpreter.

He was sentenced to a six week tagged curfew on Saturday’s between 3pm and 9pm and ordered to pay £85 costs with £85 victims’ surcharge by magistrates.

Presiding magistrate, Judy Bruck, told him: “It is unacceptable to attack your wife, frighten her, lock her out of her home and prevent her from having money.”

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Prosecutor, Sarah Perkins, said Michalec and his wife went to a club on February 4 and at about 3am he became unhappy because she was dancing with another man.

He said they were leaving and she was unhappy because she wanted to stay. When they got into Queen Street he pushed her, causing her to fall over and slapped her face, telling her: “You’re not going to dance with other men, you whore.”

She got home to find he had locked her out. When police arrived Michalec cut up her bank card with scissors.

She suffered a grazed knee, an aching cheek and her coat was ripped. She had no money over the weekend because he had destroyed her bank card.

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In a report to the court, probation officer Emma Naden, told magistrates Michalec had no previous convictions and added: “He admitted he was upset and aggressive because she was flirting with someone else. He admits behaving badly on this occasion.”

Michalec, a father-of-three, told the court: “I’m sorry. It will never happen again. I would really like to go back to my family home to my wife and children.”

James Larkin, 21, breach of non-molestation order

A 21 year-old Blackpool man has admitted breaking a court order which forbids him contacting his former partner.

James Larkin, currently of no fixed address, was given a 12 month conditional discharge by Blackpool Magistrates after he admitted the breach of a non molestation order imposed by the Family Court.

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The court heard how he had contacted his ex over their child.

He had done so when he had drunk too much and magistrates said they accepted that the victim had played some part in the meeting.

Larkin was ordered to pay £85 court costs and £20 victims’ surcharge.

Christopher Dixon, 26, breach of community order

A man breached his community order to be by his mother’s hospital bedside, magistrates heard.

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Christopher Dixon, 26, of Carshalton Road admitted failing to do unpaid work for the community.

Probation service prosecutor Peter Moran said that Dixon had completed 28 hours of the 47 hours imposed for drink-drive offences.

Magistrates decided to extend the period of the order and added a further 25 hours unpaid work as punishment.

His lawyer Brett Chappell said Dixon’s mother had suffered a stroke and became a long term patient at a Blackburn hospital.

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“Basically he went to live in Blackburn to be at her side and went off the horizon as far as probation was concerned.”

Paul Quinn, 36, theft

A thief struggled with security officers and had to be taken to the floor after he stole a bottle of whisky.

Paul Quinn, 36, of Knowle Avenue, Cleveleys, pleaded guilty to theft of £17 of alcohol from Sainsbury’s in Blackpool.

He was sentenced to a four week curfew from 7pm to 7am and ordered to pay £85 costs with £85 victims’ surcharge by District Judge Mike Hopkinson.

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Hugh Pond, defending, said at the time Quinn had no settled accommodation. He also had a problem with alcohol and cocaine and had been drinking excessively.

Joseph Edwards, 55, theft

A 55-year-old man went on a campaign of shoplifting over a two month period, including the theft of a charity collection box from a counter.

Joseph Edwards, of Moore Street South Shore, admitted eight theft offences when he appeared before magistrates who sentenced him to 12 weeks jail suspended for a year.

Adrian Hollamby,prosecuting, said Edwards targeted Tesco Express stores four times in an eight-week period each time stealing DVDs.

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He stole the charity box from Waterstones and a camera from the Old Time Photo Studio.

He also committed thefts at Iceland and HMV.

“It was a relentless campaign over a short period,” said the prosecutor. Stephen Duffy, defending, said that Edwards committed the offences 
to fund an addiction to crack cocaine.