Fleetwood - From the courts 13-07-16

Jason Phillips, 36, Cheltenham Road, North Shore, pleaded guilty to five offences of theft and asked for one offence of theft to be considered.

He was sentenced to 14 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months, put on six months drug rehabilitation with a 12 weeks tagged curfew from 8pm to 6am and ordered to pay £115 victims’ surcharge by District Judge Alan Jones sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

The judge was told between May 17 and June 30 Phillips took almost £200 worth of property including meat from Sainsburys and razors with hair dye from Wilkinsons in Cleveleys, plus bacon from Spar and steak from Booths in Poulton,

Patrick Nelligan, defending, said both Phillips and his partner had had drug problems but they were now on a methadone prescription,

Phillips partner had run up a drug debt while he was in prison and that was why he had gone shoplifting on such a scale.

• A 74 year old pensioner preferred to play crown green bowls rather than attend a court hearing dealing with £100,000 cash seized from him by detectives.

Joseph Barlow objected to a police application to detain the cash for a further six months .

His case was handled by his lawyer after Barlow said he could not attend proceedings at Blackpool Magistrates Courtbecause he would not leave his bowling team a man short in a vital match.

Lancashire Police failed in their application for a further six months detention of the £100,000 and a further £100,000 seized from Barlow’s son Terry Barlow.

Instead a judge granted them 12 weeks and urged officers to speed up their investigation into whether the money was the proceeds of alleged drug dealings.

Barlow senior of Hornby Road,Blackpool, and his son Terry of River Road, Thornton, had the money taken under Proceeds of Crime legislation in March this year.

Substances claimed to be cocaine and cannabis were also seized by police as well as suspected drugs bulking powder.

Both men were arrested after officer’s stopped the car Terry Barlow was driving car in Caunce Street.Both are on bail but have not been charged, the court heard.

The father and son deny the money is the result of drug dealing and say it is profits from two stalls they run on Blackpool’s Abingdon Street indoor market and a E-cigarette business.

Trevor Colebourne who represented the pensioner’s interests inc ourt said: “The police have had this money for four months – now they want it for a further six months.”

“The only link my client who prefers not to be here today is that he is the registered owner of the car which was stopped.”

“He wants to be interviewed by police about this but every time he turns up at the police station he is merely bailed to another date.”

“If the Lord Chief Justice wanted a task completing within three days I suspect it would be.

“This all needs to be speeded up.

“My client’s bank accounts have been looked at, inquiries have been made via the Department of Work and Pensions and I am told the £100,000 is fully accountable for by Mr Barlow senior.”

“If the police are given a further six months they will take six months.”

Terry Barlow, who represented himself, said he did take cannabis to ease the pain from sciatica.

He told the court: “I suppose I am something of a cannabis connoisseur.But I can account for every penny of that money and how it has been made.”

Police financial investigator Alan Todd told the court that the cash had been found in three places and consisted of bundles of £1,000 made up of £20 notes.

He said that the notes were being forensically examined at a laboratory in Bristol to find out if they had drug residue on them.

He said that the Barlow’s also had £23,000 in several banks accounts.

District Judge Alan Jones granted the police a further 12 weeks to detain the cash,computer and mobile phones but stated: “This investigation needs to be hastened.In particular the forensic inquiries require accelerating.

“I cannot see a court looking kindly at a further police application.”

• A man accused of sex attacks on two little girls aged six and eight has made his first appearance at court.

Stanley Jade, 40, of Tebay Avenue, Cleveleys, faces one charge of rape and one charge of engaging in sexual activity with a child.

The offences are alleged to have taken place at Cleveleys between October last year and June this year.

Prosecutor, Scott Ainge, said the case must be heard at crown court. Defence lawyer, Steven Townley, did not ask for bail for his client.

Jade was remanded in custody to appear at Preston Crown Court on July 22 by District Judge Alan Jones sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

• A shopper challenged by a woman assistant called her a dried up old dwarf and a witch.

Kevin Geddes had been trying to conceal some biscuits he wanted from his partner because he knew she would not approve as he had put on weight lately a judge was told.

Geddes, 39, of Mowbray Road, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour.

He was fined £250 but could not pay immediately so District Judge Alan Jones sentenced him to one day in custody instead of the fine. Geddes was also told to pay £25 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Scott Ainge, said a woman assistant who worked at Herons Foods, Lord Street, Fleetwood, challenged Geddes over what he was doing with a packet of biscuits from the shop,, on February 19.

Geddes ranted, swore and waved his arms at her and called her a dried up dwarf, saying: “I’ll have you, you witch.”

She believed he was going to attack her.

He then threw biscuits over her head and said “ go on call the police then.”

Defence lawyer, Patrick Nelligan, said Geddes, who was shopping with his partner, was not stealing the biscuits but trying to get them without her seeing.

He said the assistant swore at him and called him a thief which he took issue with.

Mr Nelligan added: “He knew his partner would not approve of him having the biscuits because he had put a lot of weight on recently.”

• A teenage burglar threw an £18,000 Rolex watch into the SEA when he could not sell it on the local black market.

Paul Ashcroft, 18, stole the 20-year-old watch, along with high value jewellery and an iPad in a burglary while the householder, a merchant seaman, was at sea.

But Ashcroft felt immediate guilt and handed himself into the police the following day, Preston Crown Court heard.

Philip Clarke, prosecuting, said: “He hoped to sell these items on to people in the local area but when he couldn’t find anyone who wanted to buy them he threw them in the sea at Fleetwood.”

Daniel Harman, defending, said Ashcroft was naive and did not appreciate the value of what he had in his hands.

He said: “If he had known what he had taken he wouldn’t have thrown it into the sea.” The watches were a blackfaced Rolex Submariner, a stainless steel faced Omega Seamaster and a 18ct rose gold Breitling Navitimer.

He said the burglar had lived a crime free life until he was thrown out of his foster home for taking a vehicle without consent, four months before he committed the burglary. Ashcroft, who targeted the home in Addison Road, Fleetwood, on May 19, is now living in supported accommodation in Lytham and has taken steps to tackle his drug use. Recorder Mukhtar Hussain QC, sentencing, said: “Very often, as in this case, the property stolen has sentimental value that can never be restored. Once the item is lost then gone with the item are the memories of that particular item - when it was given and who it was given by.

“This was clearly a burglary during the day but you surrendered to the police. I regard that to be genuine remorse.”The judge handed Ashcroft, of London Street, Fleetwood, a 12 month sentence suspended for two years and ordered him to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, a 30 day rehabilitation activity and a nine month drugs program.

He must also pay a £100 victim surcharge.

• A man accused of biting off his step-father’s ear has been allowed to vary the conditions of his bail.

Daniel Hall, 24, of North Church Street, Fleetwood, who denied an offence of wounding, had been bailed on the condition he did not contact his step-father or go to his step-father and mother’s home in Wansbeck Avenue, Fleetwood.

Defence lawyer, Steven Townley, applied for the bail conditions to be changed so Hall could visit his parents home in Wansbeck Avenue.

Mr Townley added that Hall’s parents had requested he be allowed to go there so he could be made meals and helped with tablet taking etc.

District Judge Alan Jones sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court agreed to vary Hall’s bail.

Hall is allowed to go to his parents home as long as both of them agrees and he must leave immediately if asked to by either of them.