Fleetwood: From the courts 03-08-16

A man of robbing another teenager on a bus has made his first appearance at court.
Blackpool Magistrates CourtBlackpool Magistrates Court
Blackpool Magistrates Court

Jordan Briggs, 21, of Mowbray Road, Fleetwood, is charged with robbing a 16-year-old of a Nike body warmer on February 10.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said the case must be heard at crown court. Patrick Nelligan, defending, said his client would not indicate a plea to the offence at this stage.

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Briggs was bailed to appear at Preston Crown Court on August 31 by Blackpool magistrates.

• A woman driver seen swerving about the road was blocked in by a police patrol car at a service station fuel pump.

Charlotte Holmes was asked by an officer why she had not stopped for the police’s blue flashing lights and she replied she did not think the police were after her.

Holmes, 34, of The Esplanade, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

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She was disqualified from driving for 17 months and fined £120 with £85 costs plus £30 victims’ surcharge by District Judge Edward Barr sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

Prosecutor, Jim Mowbray, said police patrolling Fleetwood on July 6 at 12.55am, saw Holmes in a Renault Clio take a sharp bend at speed and nearly lose control.

She was swerving along Fleetwood Road North and was signalled to stop but carried on to the Shell service station where police pulled their vehicle across hers to block her in when she stopped at a fuel pump.

A breath test showed 64 micrograms of alcohol in her body – 35 is the limit.

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Steven Townley, defending, said his client had had had a driving licence since she was 17 and had no motoring penalties.

She had had had a drink but felt she was fit to drive so she went for petrol.

• A man accused of sexually molesting a girl over eight years including multiple offences of raping her from when she was seven has made his first appearance at court.

Kevin Bambury, a 45-year-old designer, of Buckley Crescent, Cleveleys, is charged with six offences of raping the girl, 15 offences of seriously sexually assaulting her and one offence of inciting the girl to engage in sexual activity.

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The offences are alleged to have taken place between August 2006 and August last year at Thornton Cleveleys.

Defence lawyer, Brett Chappell, said his client denied the offences and would plead not guilty to all the allegations.

Bambury was bailed to appear at Preston Crown Court on August 31 by Blackpool magistrates.

He must not have any unsupervised contact with any child under 16, except for fleeting or inadvertent contact or via social services, as a condition of his bail.

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• A father-of-tw0 flew into a temper and caused almost £2,000 worth of damage when his girlfriend of 10 years told him he had to leave her flat.

Lee Farrington binged on drugs and drink then attacked the property with his bare hands punching and kicking out.

He damaged and smashed walls, carpets, wardrobes, and kitchen equipment at the flat on Bayside, Fleetwood.

Farrington, 26, of Windsor Terrace, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to causing damage.

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He was sentenced to a 12 months community service with up to 20 days rehabilitation to be supervised by the probation service, put on a three months curfew from 10pm to 6am and ordered to pay £500 compensation with £85 costs plus £85 victims’ surcharge by District Judge Edward Barr sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

The judge told him: “You caused considerable wanton damage to the property. The landlord has suffered considerably.”

Prosecutor, Jim Mowbray, said when a landlord for a Bayside flat checked the property on June 14, it was discovered damage amounting to £1,800 had been caused.

Plaster was damaged on every wall, plus carpeting ruined.

Doors and wardrobes had been broken, the oven door damaged and a sink cracked.

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Howard Green, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, was under pressure over a legal matter at the time and the last straw came when his long term partner said he could not live at the flat she rented.

Farrington took solace in drugs and drink and caused the majority of the damage in one day by kicking and punching, seriously injuring his hands.

Probation officer, Lesley Whittaker, told the judge Farrington had had problems controlling his temper and had also smoked cannabis from an early age. He took his anger out on property rather than people.

• A man accused of assaulting a woman has been put on the wanted list.

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Oliver Bland, 23, of Roylen Avenue, Poulton, had a warrant without bail issued for his arrest by District Judge Edward Barr sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court after he failed to attend court.

• A woman lapsed and took a drink on her first weekend out of an alcohol rehabilitation unit in four months.

Angela Bonney was more than twice over the alcohol limit when police found her sat at the wheel of her car one afternoon.

Bonney, 56, of Ringway, Cleveleys, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

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She was banned from the road for 17 months and fined £80 with £85 costs plus £30 victims’ surcharge by District Judge Edward Barr sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

Prosecutor, Jim Mowbray, said police received a tip-off about a woman suspected of drink-driving in a Hyundai, on July 9 at 5.45pm.

Officers saw Bonney behind the wheel of the car parked in North Drive. 
The engine was running and an officer removed her keys.

A breath test showed 79 micrograms of alcohol in her body - 35 is the limit.

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Bonney told the judge: “I had been in residential rehabilitation for four months and it was my first weekend out. I lapsed.

“I had been doing so well and I was so positive. I’m glad someone was there to stop me driving.

“Since then I have kept sober.”

• A sneaky prolific thief who stole a deputy shop manager’s wallet from behind a counter in the store has been jailed.

Paul Speck had a criminal record of 176 previous offences, many for dishonestly, which was described as dreadful.

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Speck, 41, of Knowle Avenue, Cleveleys, pleaded guilty to theft.

He was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment and ordered to pay £115 victims’ surcharge by District Judge Roger Lowe sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said Speck stole the wallet which contained cash bank cards and a driving licence, from behind a counter at McColl’s on May 26.

Police identified him from CCTV footage at the store.

Steven Townley, defending, said his client had been on licence from prison at the time of the theft and was being 
recalled back to jail for 28 days.

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Speck, who had not planned the unsophisticated theft, had a class A drug problem.

• A man has made his first appearance at court accused of grabbing his wife by the throat and dragging her along.

Paul Speck, 41, of Knowle Avenue, Cleveleys, pleaded not guilty to assaulting wife Michelle.

Defence lawyer, Steven Townley, did not ask for bail for Speck.

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He was remanded in custody towards his trial on August 24 by District Judge Roger Lowe sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

• A police officer had to step out of the way of a car he had signalled to stop because the driver was slow to react.

Lee Matthews was then found to be more than two times over the alcohol limit.

Matthews, a 29-year-old father-of-two, of Beverley Close, Thornton, a development manager for a car company, pleaded guilty to drink-driving.

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He was banned from the road for 21 months and fined £300 with £85 costs plus £30 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.

Prosecutor, Jim Mowbray, said a police officer dealing with another motorist on Fleetwood Road, Carleton, saw Matthews Toyota Yaris approaching on July 10 at 3.20am and believed he was speeding.

The officer signalled Matthews to stop but he was slow to react and the officer had to step put of the way of the car.

A breath test showed 88 micrograms of alcohol in his body - 35 is the limit.

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Peter Cave, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, admitted driving that night was the most stupid thing he had done in his life.

He had been to a party and decided to drive home

• A man bombarded his former partner with threatening texts and voicemails.

Thirty two year Mark Sutton admitted three offences breaching a restraining order forbidding him to contact Sarah Cheetham.

He also admitted theft of one of her bank cards when he appeared before District Judge Jonathan Gosling sitting at Blackpool Magistrates Court.

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Martine Connah said that Sutton of Deerhurst Road, Thornton Cleveleys had been to prison for assaulting legal secretary Sarah Cheetham with whom he had a four year relationship.

On his release from prison he started to watch her home and note cars parked outside.

Then he started to send up to 40texts a day.

In a statement his victim said she felt a prisoner in her own home where she looked after two children.

Her statement said : “He is bordering on stalking and obsessiveness and I am getting very worried.”

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Allan Cobain, defending,said that Sutton had been told that the restraining order was no longer void.However it was still in place.

“He knows he was very foolish but there was no assault or face to face confrontation,” he told the court.

Sentencing Sutton to eight weeks prison, the judge told him: “You have been playing mind games with your victim and you were stalking her.

“You knew there was a restraining order in place.”