Blackpool: From the courts 17-04-18

Here is the latest round-up of some of the cases at Blackpool Magistrates Court.
Blackpool Magistrates CourtBlackpool Magistrates Court
Blackpool Magistrates Court
Read More
Blackpool: From the courts 16-04-18

Gavin Howard, 30, threatening behaviour

A homeless man’s pot noodle plea landed him in hot water.

Gavin Howard had gone into a carvery restaurant to ask for boiling water to turn his pot of dry food into a meal.

When he was refused he turned nasty and squared up to staff and started growling at them, Blackpool magistrates were told.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Justices heard how Howard, 30, who comes from Preston, also went into eaterie Nunzio’s in Blackpool and toured tables asking diners for money.

Magistrates decided the best way of keeping Howard out of Blackpool was to impose a two year Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from the resort.

He admitted threatening behaviour.

He must also pay £20 victim’s surcharge.

Sharon Davies, prosecuting for Blackpool Council, said Howard went into The Carvery on Talbot Road asking for hot water.

She said: “When he was refused he became angry and threatening in an intimidatory growling manner. He eventually left the premises without his shoes on.”

The court heard that Howard had a history of begging.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Patrick Nelligan, defending, said: “This man has been at rock bottom. He finds pot noodles are a good way of eating like other homeless people.

“Hopefully he won’t come back to Blackpool.”

Philip Henry, 25, criminal damage

A man took out his frustration about the state of his flat.

His front door would not lock and he could not get electricity.

Philip Henry, 25, tried and failed to contact his landlord who had changed his phone number and could not be contacted to ask him to improve the accommodation on Bright Street, Blackpool.

Police were called to the flat when a neighbour heard the noise of breaking glass.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Officers discovered Henry had put through a double glazed unit with piece of glass.

Henry admitted criminal damage and was given a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £120 costs and compensation.

Stephen Duffy, defending, said: “His flat was in a terrible state and he could not find the landlord.”

Anthony Harris, 30, failing to comply with a suspended prison sentence

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A former soldier failed to carry out court ordered unpaid work for the community over Christmas and New Year.

Anthony Harris, a 30-year-old construction worker, of Darley Avenue, Marton, denied failing to comply with a suspended prison sentence order but was found guilty of the offence after a trial.

Harris was fined £300 and ordered to pay £162 costs.

The court was told that on April 20 last year Harris was sentenced to eight weeks jail suspended for 12 months and originally ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work for an offence of driving while disqualified.

The hours he had to work were then extended after he twice breached the suspended sentence order, bringing the total to 278 hours.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tracey Andrews, for the probation service, said that when Harris was inducted he was told he would have to do the unpaid work every Sunday until the hours were completed.

She said Harris failed to do work on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve last year and then did not provide any evidence for his failure to do so.

Harris had phoned her on January 8, apologised for his absences and accepted he should have checked with her first.

Harris told the court that he had spoken to another offender in the work group who had told him he did not have to attend for work on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He added that he had been in Bolton with family members over the festive season.

He returned home between New Year’s Day and January 3 to find one warning letter from the probation service and another saying he had breached the suspended prison sentence.

Harris said: “I have taken the order seriously, I only have five hours left to do.”

Jack Evans, 21, breaching his bail

A prank by two drunken pals backfired.

They went around to jack Evans’ home on Keswick Road in the early hours of the morning and when he answered the door they pulled him out of the property.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Unfortunately for 21-year-old Evans the door slammed shut behind him.

Evans was on a curfew at the time and being outside set of the tagging alarm.

He admitted breaching the terms of his mail and magistrates agreed to re-bail him.

Defending him Sue Mugford said: “When he got stuck outside he rang the police to inform them of his plight.

”It seems rather harsh that he was prosecuted.”