Blackpool: From the courts 23-06-17

Claudia Badea, 29, selling counterfeit tobacco

A woman desperate to keep her ailing shop business afloat turned to sell counterfeit cigarettes and tobacco.

The 29-year-old sold the smoking products despite not have a permit allowing her to do so.

Council investigators were tipped off about what Claudia Badea was doing at her store called Bucharest on Station Terrace, South Shore.

They set up a test purchase in which a man was sold three packets of rolling tobacco for £9.

That led to the shop – a Romanian food store – being raided. They found the tobacco products being sold.The cigarettes illegally bore the trademarks

Mayfair, L&M and Golden Virginia and some imported rolling tobacco did not have the requisite health warnings in English.

In all 144 packets were seized.

When she was interviewed Badea told Blackpool Council Trading Standards officers that she had been in the Uk for six years. She had been tempted to pay £800 cash for 32 sleeves of tobacco and cigarettes.

She had expected to make a £320 profit on sales.

Steven Duffy, defending, said: “Her venture into running a food store was far from being a financial success. She has lost around £20,000 in all on this venture.

“She thought what she did was a way of making some easy money.”

Bedea was given a 12 month community order during which she must do 40 hours work for the community. She must pay £220 court costs and £85 victims’ surcharge.

The seized goods will be destroyed.

Here is Wednesday’s round-up of cases at Blackpool Magistrates Court 22-06-17Daniel White, 23, breaching bail

An anti-fracking protester has been fined for failing to attend court when ordered to.

Daniel White, 23, of the Blackpool protest camp, Whitehills, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to breaching bail.

He was fined £120 and ordered to pay £30 victims’ surcharge.

As he left the dock he said to magistrates: “Happy Solstice to you all,” referring to the longest day of the year.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said White had been bailed on the condition he attended court on June 19 to face an allegation of obstructing a road, but he failed to turn up.

Adam Bonney, defending, said his client had misplaced the documents he was given which gave the date he was to appear at court.

White had gone to an anti-fracking protest camp in Billingshurst, West Sussex.

On June 19 his fellow protesters at the Blackpool camp realised he had not returned for his court appearance and got word to him at the camp in the south.

He had caught a coach back to Blackpool arriving at 7am and surrendered himself to the police.

The defence said White had no income and did not claim benefits and was supported by friends and other people who brought him food

White pleaded not guilty to obstructing Preston New Road at Cuadrilla’s shale gas fracking site, Little Plumpton, on March 30, by allegedly standing in front of a vehicle. He was bailed for trial on October 27 before a district judge at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

Darren Emery, 35, assault

News of the Manchester terror attack brought on a former soldier’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a court was told.

Darren Emery was arguing with his girlfriend as she drove them along and he lost his temper.

He pulled on the handbrake, punched the windscreen cracking it and a sun visor and threw a Tupperware box at his partner causing a cut to her lip.

Emery, 35, of Addison Crescent, Layton, pleaded guilty to assault, causing damage and being in possession of cannabis.

He was sentenced to 16 weeks jail suspended for 18 months with up to 35 days rehabilitation to be supervised by the probation service and ordered to pay £200 compensation to his victim.

Presiding magistrate, Alan Fisher, told him: “This was a sustained and unprovoked attack.

“This is your last chance.”

Prosecutor, Sarah Perkins, said Emery committed the offences on May 23 this year.

Emery had three previous convictions for assaulting his girlfriend.

Brett Chappell, defending, said news of the Manchester terror attack brought on former serviceman Emery’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Emery was described as having mental health, drink and drug problems.

Daniel Christodoulides, 44, assault

A father-of-three who denied stalking a former girlfriend at Blackpool causing her serious alarm and distress has had the date of his trial altered.

Daniel Christodoulides, 44, of The Fairway, Royton, Oldham, pleaded not guilty to stalking his ex by making unwanted phone calls, visiting her address and approaching her in the street numerous times between January 11 and February 3 this year.

He also denied assaulting his former girlfriend on Boxing Day 2016.

The date of Christodoulides trial was changed to September 6.

Simon Oliver, 30, driving with excess alcohol

A drunken driver involved in a multi-car crash ran off from the accident scene leaving behind his girlfriend and her young son.

Simon Oliver was chased and caught by police who found he was over the alcohol limit on April Fools Day.

Oliver, a former tree surgeon, 30, of Berwick Road, South Shore, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol without insurance and failing to stop after an accident.

He was sentenced to a 12 months community order with 40 hours of unpaid work for the community, banned from the road for 40 months and fined £120 with £85 costs plus £85 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Jim Mowbray, said Oliver was driving his girlfriend’s Citroen C3 with her and her 11-year-old son as passengers on April 1 just before 9pm.

He collided with another vehicle on Highfield Road and was shunted into several parked cars.

Oliver then got out and ran, leaving his upset girlfriend to tell the police he had been driving.

Police chased and caught Oliver and a breath test showed 56 micrograms of alcohol in his body - 35 is the limit.Suzanne Mugford, defending, said Oliver his partner and her son had had a meal and some drinks at The Air Balloon pub.

Oliver agreed to drive as his girlfriend had had too much to drink.

He said he felt fine and did not think he was over the limit.

The accident was not his fault but that of the other driver who swerved into him causing him to shunt several parked cars.

Ms Mugford added: “He realised he would be arrested and he did not want to be in front of his girlfriend and her son. He went round the corner and then sat down. He was not running away.”