Blackpool: From the courts 21-03-17

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

A university student was over the alcohol limit when he drove to go and see a friend in the early hours.

George Brady, 18, of Heron Way, Normoss, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

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He was given a six months conditional discharge, banned from the road for 14 months and ordered to pay £85 costs with £20 victims’ surcharge by magistrates.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said police stopped Brady on February 24 at 3.45am, after seeing him driving a Renault Twingo on Albert Road.

A breath test showed 51 micrograms of alcohol in his body - 35 is the limit.

Stephen Duffy, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, had returned from Newcastle University that night and had had a nightmare journey with his train being delayed.

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He went out with his father to the pub to relax then went home to bed.

About 3am he was phoned by a friend and as he had been asleep for a number of hours he believed he would be perfectly fit to drive.

There was no suggestion by the police that Brady’s driving had been poor. He had been shocked when his breathalyser test was positive.

Charles Brown, 19, drug-driving

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A student was found with a cocktail of drugs in his bloodstream after police stopped him because he was driving too slowly.

Charles Brown had taken cocaine during a “Monday Madness” night out in the resort town centre during which bars had cut price offers on alcohol.

He also had the horse anaesthetic Ketamine in his body plus cannabis and also Benzoylecgonine, a by-product of cocaine.

Brown, 19, of Sandhills Avenue, South Shore, pleaded guilty to four offences of drug driving.

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He was sentenced to a six months community order with 24 hours at an attendance centre, banned from the road for 12 months and ordered to pay £85 costs with £85 victims’ surcharge by District Judge Joanne Hirst.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said police stopped Brown on January 21 about 1am, because he was driving a Peugeot 207 on the resort’s South Park Drive abnormally slowly. His speech was slurred and he was unsteady on his feet but he did not smell of alcohol.

A blood test showed 703 units of Benzoylecgonine – the specified limit is 50, 13 units of cocaine – the limit is 10, 6.6 units of cannabis – the limit is 2 and 28 units of Ketamine – the limit is 20.

Suzanne Mugford, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, had not taken the drugs and then got into his car and driven.

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Brown had taken some drugs when he was out on a “Monday Madness” evening on the Monday and then smoked a joint of cannabis on the Thursday. He was stopped by police on the Friday as he was taking his girlfriend to a party and slowing down for some lights.

Mark Ashworth, 31, breach of community order

Officials were unable to fit a tag to monitor a man’s curfew because he kept moving address.

Mark Ashworth, 31, of Heathfield Road, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to breaching a community order.

He was sentenced to a seven weeks curfew from 10pm to 6am and ordered to pay £50 costs by magistrates.

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Neal Brookes, prosecuting for the probation service, said Ashworth had been put on a curfew for a shoplifting offence.

He had given the address of a friend who lived at Windsor Place, Fleetwood, but when officials arrived to fit his tag the friend said Ashworth could not do the curfew there as the landlord would not like it.

Ashworth then gave his girlfriend’s address of Rear Poulton Street, Fleetwood. Officials twice went to that address to fit the tag but got no reply.

Steven Townley, defending, said his client had had to move from the first address he gave for his curfew. Ashworth was adamant he had been at the second address at the time the officials said they called, before moving again.

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He said he had always kept to his curfew and stayed in overnight.

Jay Ormerod, 33, assault

A man accused of attacking his girlfriend in bed after telling her she could not have a cigarette has made his first appearance at court.

Jay Ormerod is alleged to have grabbed his partner by the hair, kneed her in the side and kicked her in the head.

Ormerod, 33, of Raymond Avenue, North Shore, pleaded not guilty to assault.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, opposed bail for Ormerod.

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He was refused bail and remanded in custody towards trial on April 21 by magistrates.

Kayleigh Rawson, 28, theft

A woman stole items from a furnished flat where she was a tenant and used them in her next flat which was unfurnished.

Kayleigh Rawson, 28, of Central Drive, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to theft.

She was given a 12 months conditional discharge and ordered to pay £456 compensation by magistrates.

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Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said the landlord of a furnished flat on Palatine Road which Rawson rented from him, noticed items going missing from the property between November 2015 and September last year.

These included speakers, lamps, cushions, ornaments, a bath mat, a stereo and a rug which had great sentimental value for the landlord.

Steven Townley, defending, said Rawson decided to move out of that flat because she did not like the way the landlord was behaving.

She moved and when the landlord asked about the missing items she told him she had just borrowed them and would return them.

The landlord refused to let her get her remaining property from his flat and there was then a stand-off situation with her refusing to return his.