Blackpool: From the courts 12-02-18

A wanted man fled and escaped after his friend blocked a police officer’s way.

James Black, 32, of Bleasdale Avenue, Staining, who is currently serving a jail sentence, appeared before the court via the videolink from Preston Prison and pleaded guilty to obstructing police.

He was jailed for 14 days imprisonment and ordered to pay £115 victims’ surcharge by District Judge Jeff Brailsford.

Prosecutor, Jim Mowbray, said a police officer went to an address in Thornton to arrest a wanted man on August 20 last year.

At the address, Black and the wanted man came to the front door.

After the wanted man asked: “are you going to arrest me,” and the officer had said yes Black moved in front of the PC. The wanted man was able to escape.

David Charnley, defending, said his client was currently serving a prison sentence of six years eight months for various offences.

Stuart McBride, 45, Stuart Ashley, 34, possession of drugs with intent to supply

Two men have made their first appearance at court accused of having cocaine with a street value of £120,000.

Stuart McBride, 45, of Oxford Road, North Shore, and Stuart Ashley, aged 34, formerly of Back Lane, Longton, Preston, who told the court he had no fixed address, are charged with possessing almost a kilo of the class A drug with intent to supply it.

They are also accused of money laundering £20,000 of cash acquired through criminal means.

McBride is additionally charged with possessing a prohibited weapon in the form of a stun-gun Taser.

The offences are alleged to have taken place on February 7 at Blackpool.

Prosecutor, Adrian Hollamby, said the case must be heard at crown court.

Defence lawyers, Greg Earnshaw, defending McBride and Stephen Duffy, for Ashley, said their clients would not indicate pleas to the offences at that stage and did not ask for bail.

The defendants were remanded in custody to appear at Preston Crown Court on March 14.

Girl, 15, breach of bail

A teenage girl was locked-up for the night by police after she went into a Blackpool shopping centre.

The 15-year-old Blackpool girl, who can not be identified for legal reasons, had previously been banned by a court from going into the Hounds Hill centre.

The teenager pleaded guilty to breaching a condition of her bail.

District Judgef Brailsford agreed to rebail her to the resort’s youth court.

The judge said: “She has had a practical demonstration of what happens if you breach bail.”

Prosecutor, Jim Mowbray, said the teenager had been accused of a number of public order offences and assaulting and obstructing police.

She had been bailed on the conditions she lived at her given address and did not enter the resort’s Hounds Hill shopping centre or McDonalds.

On February 5 at 6.30pm she was seen entering Hounds Hill by a security officer. On seeing the officer the girl left.

The prosecutor said: “This was a fairly blatant breach of her bail conditions.”

Defence lawyer, Patrick Nelligan, told the judge that his client had stupidly made arrangements to meet a friend at the shopping centre and went there.

Mr Nelligan added: “She has had a shock to her system by being detained in the police station overnight. She is remorseful for what she did.”

Boy, 16, breach of bail

A teenager accused of burglary offences breached his bail by being away from home during his overnight curfew.

The 16-year-old Blackpool boy, who can not be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a bail condition.

Magistrates agreed to rebail him and presiding magistrate, James Hanna, told the teenager: “It was a daft trick wasn’t it.”

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said the teenager had been accused of two offences of burglary, taking a car without consent, handling stolen goods and 10 offences of fraud involving bank cards stolen during burglaries.

He had been bailed on the condition he kept a curfew between 9pm and 7am inside his given address.

On February 7, police called at his address after 9pm.

The teenager was not there and his father phoned him on his mobile.

Ross Chevreau, 22, failing to comply with community order

A homeless young man failed to do unpaid work and told the probation service it was wasting its time on him.

Ross Chevreau also said he did not care about the consequences of breaching a court order and added he did not want to address his drug problem, being happy to smoke cannabis daily.

Chevreau, a 22-year-old former takeaway worker, who gave his address as the night shelter, Buchanan Street, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a community order.

He was sentenced to three weeks prison suspended for 12 months.

Cheryl Crawford, prosecuting for the probation service, said Chevreau had previously been sentenced to a 12 months community order with 25 days supervision by the probation service and 120 hours of unpaid work for the community for three offences of shoplifting and failing to answer bail.

He had only done 22 hours of the 120 hours work he had been sentenced to. He had only attended one out of his 25 rehabilitation days.

The prosecutor said: “His probation officer says he has a lack of motivation and Chevreau says he does not care about the consequences of breaching the order.

He says he is quite happy smoking cannabis daily.”

Chevreau said he had not had time to do the payback work because he was so busy trying to eat and find somewhere to sleep.