Blackpool: From the courts 16-05-18

Boy, 15, breach of bail

A teenager who admitted burgling a house had breached his bail for the sixth time a judge was told.

The 15-year-old Blackpool boy was said not to have kept his curfew on more 30 occasions.

The teenager, who can not be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a condition of his bail.

District Judge, Jeff Brailsford agreed to rebail him.

The judge told him: “You must be the only youth in Blackpool to have been bailed after breaching your bail so many times. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you are going to be bailed again. You have run out of last chances.”

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said the boy had pleaded guilty to house burglary, three offences of interfering with a motor vehicle and four offences of fraud and was awaiting sentence on these charges.

One of the conditions of his bail had been that he kept a tagged curfew from 7pm to 7am at his given address.

On May 6, equipment monitoring the teenager’s tag showed he was not at the address by 7pm. He returned home at 7.43pm.

He had five previous convictions for breaching bail.

The prosecutor said: “There have been in excess of 30 occasions he has failed to keep his curfew.”

Brett Chappell, defending, said his client had been given a lift to visit a friend in South Shore on May 6, and was meant to be given a lift back home in time for his curfew by a relative, but the relative did not turn up.

The teenager, who had undergone surgery on a leg injury, had to make his way back home on his crutches and was late.

Mr Chappell said his client had breached his bail on occasions previously because there had been problems at home and he had been fighting with his brother.

Paul Smith, 47, assault

A man accused of injuring his girlfriend by punching her in the face has appeared at court.

Paul Smith, 47, formerly of Chesterfield Road, North Shore, now living at Abbotsford Road, Marton, pleaded guilty to assault but did not agree with all the details put forward by the prosecution.

The defence said that Smith denied punching his partner but admitted giving her an open-handed slap.

The case was adjourned to July 19 for a hearing at which both prosecution and defence evidence will be heard.

Smith was bailed on the conditions he did not contact the complainant or enter the resort’s Claremont Court.

Adam Hugh Latham, 42, drug-driving, drink-driving, failing to stop after an accident

A property developer has admitted driving his Porsche car in St Annes with class A drugs in his body.

Adam Hugh Latham, 42, of Preston New Road, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to driving with 19 micrograms of cocaine in his body and 407 micrograms of the cocaine derivative Benzoylecgonine in his body. He also admitted possessing cocaine on November 8 last year.

Latham denied drink-driving with 56 micrograms of alcohol in his body – 35 is the legal limit.

He also pleaded not guilty to failing to stop after an accident where he allegedly hit a wall in St Annes Road East leaving his personalised car number plate behind.

Defence lawyer, Steven Townley, said his client had not consumed any alcohol before driving but had drunk some vodka afterwards.

Latham had his case adjourned for trial by District Judge Huw Edwards, who imposed an interim driving ban on him.

Louise Castro, 56; Ronald Hollaran, 52; Diane Steels, 57, and Jeanette Porter, 32, all deny obstruction

Four anti-fracking campaigners have denied obstructing the highway outside the gas exploration site being operated by Cuadrilla.

The four appeared before District Judge Jones.

They are: Louise Castro, 56, of Dugdale Close, South Shore; Ronald Hollaran, 52, of Dovedale Avenue, Blackpool; Diane Steels, 57, of Fairview Avenue, Bacup and Jeanette Porter , 32, of St David’s Road North,St Annes. They all pleaded not guilty to obstructing the a A583 at Little Plumpton on April 4 this year by allegedly staging a “lock on” protest.

Their trial will start on August 17. All four were granted bail.

Sarah Rugen, 34, resisting arrest, tampering with a vehicle

A woman has denied resisting a police constable on duty outside the Cuadrilla gas exploration site.

Sarah Rugen, 34, of Whetstone Road, Birkenhead, is alleged she committed the offence in August last year at Little Plumpton.

She is further charged with tampering with a vehicle - getting on the top of a truck on the A583 outside the site.

Rugen also faces a Bail Act offence.

Rugen was bailed until August 15.