Latest convictions from Blackpool Magistrates' Court - Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Christian Lord, 32, possessing an offensive weapon

A martial arts enthusiast was found with an illegal weapon in his car when police stopped him. Christian Lord said he had bought the telescopic baton from a market where it was on open sale and used it in a martial arts class.

Lord, a 32-year-old scaffolder, of Red Bank Road, Bispham, pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon. He was sentenced to an eight weeks curfew from 8pm to 7am and ordered to pay £85 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said on November 11, Lord was stopped by police as he drove an Audi A4 on Oban Place, Bispham. At the side of the driver’s seat police found the baton in its case.

Paul Moore, 64, distributing indecent photographs of children, possessing prohibited images of a child and possessing pornographic images

A St Annes man distributed indecent images of children and was caught with hundreds of indecent pictures of children and hundreds of extreme pornographic images. Paul Moore, 64, formerly of All Saints Road, St Annes, now living in Eastbank Avenue, St Annes, pleaded guilty to five offences.

He admitted one charge of distributing indecent photographs of children, one charge of possessing 14 prohibited images of a child and one charge of possessing 580 extreme pornographic images. Moore also pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent pictures of a child - totalling 750 pictures - some at the highest level of depravity.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, asked for the case to be sentenced at crown court.

Moore was bailed to appear for sentence on March 20 at Preston Crown Court.

Bethany Cole, 22, obstruction

An anti-fracking campaigner was involved in a confrontation with a police officer who thought she was going stand in front of a lorry going into a gas exploration site.

The officer was forced to take 22-year-old Bethany Cole to the ground and hand-cuff her,.

Cole of Maple Farm, Westby, was found guilty of obstructing PC Chris Hill on the A583 outside the Cuadrilla site on September 27 last year.

She was fined £120 and ordered to pay £20 victim’s surcharge and £100 costs.

The court heard that Cole was amongst a handful of protesters outside the site entrance. PC Hill had been watching her conduct and felt she was about to go into the highway from the central reservation as a lorry going to the site approached.

Cole denied this and maintained the officer had used excessive force on her causing injuries to her head, knees, hips and arms.

In evidence she said she had no intention of going into the roadway and all she wanted to do was to wave a placard at the truck driver pointing out he was not welcome in the area.

Gary Walters, 44, breach of bail

A man accused of sex offences against a child failed to keep a condition of his bail.

Gary Walters missed two appointments to sign on at Blackpool police headquarters because he could not walk as he had a bad back and did not have enough left from his benefits money to pay for transport there.Walters, 44, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to breaching his bail.

Blackpool magistrates agree to rebail him.

Walters was previously bailed after being accused of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl and attempting to engage in sexual communication with her.

A condition of his bail was he should report to Blackpool police headquarters every Monday and Friday.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said on February 18 at 4.30am police saw Walters on Central Drive.

Checks revealed he had not signed in at Blackpool police station on February 11 and 15.

Kathryn Jamieson-Sinclair, defending, said that now Blackpool Central police station had closed the new headquarters was a five-mile round trip for anyone who had to get there from the centre of the resort.

Walters had had a back problem since suffering a spine injury.

His back usually went two or three times a year.

On the days of the offences his back was so bad he was unable to walk to the police station and he did not have enough of his universal credit left to pay to get there.