Latest convictions from Blackpool's court - Monday, September 17, 2018

Connor Snape, 19, assault, damage and possessing a blade in public

A teenager launched an unprovoked attack on a man outside a church after claiming he was a paedophile.

Connor Snape told police that he went round Blackpool hitting people he referred to as “paedos and nonces.”

Snape, 19, of Bethel Avenue, Bispham, pleaded guilty to assault, two offences of damage and possessing a blade in public.

He was sentenced to a 12 community order with up to 30 days rehabilitation to be supervised by the probation service, fined £10 and ordered to pay the victim £179.99 compensation by Blackpool magistrates.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said Snape approached a man sat outside the resort’s St John’s Church on July 23 about 5pm and punched him numerous times in the head after asking him if he was a paedophile and victim replying no.

The victim’s spectacles and headphones he was wearing were damaged.

On August 1 at 9.30am police saw Snape behaving suspiciously in Park Road and they found a kitchen knife in his bag.

He told officers he carried the knife for his own protection.

Peter Manning, defending, said a psychological report on his client stated that he was functioning at an extremely low level.

Snape was described as having learning, anger, and behavioural issues.

He was also said to be an exaggerator who made bad decisions.

Kieron Bates, 46, burglary

A drug-fuelled man broke into a house at Blackpool stole a child’s slipper and left the entrance and stairs covered in blood.

Kieron Bates told police he had taken 50 Valium tablets plus some heroin and crack cocaine beforehand and thought the house belonged to a friend.

Bates, 46, of Cheltenham Road, North Shore, denied burglary but was found guilty of the offence following a trial in his absence.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said a man was woken by his partner on June 4 about 11.45pm and told she could hear an intruder in their home where their two children aged six and 12 were sleeping.

The householder armed himself with a knife and piece of wood.

He saw blood over the entrance and stairs from where the intruder had been bleeding from injuries to his face. A police officer arrested Bates, who had the householder’s daughter’s slipper in his hand, in the garden.

Bates said he thought it was a friend’s home and his only intention was to go to sleep there.

Gary McAnulty, defending, said his client had been heavily under the influence of drugs at the time.

Bates had not attended the trial as he had moved address and did not receive papers with the trial date on.

Bates was bailed to October 10 for sentence at Preston Crown Court.

Craig Sawings, 46, failing to comply with a community order

A man found himself back in court after he tried to juggle doing his job as a window fitter with court ordered unpaid work for the community.

Craig Sawings, 46, of Teal Court, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a community order.

He was sentenced to do an extra 14 hours of payback work and ordered to pay £60 costs.

Cheryl Crawford, prosecuting for the probation service, said Sawings was sentenced to a 12 months community order with 100 hours unpaid work for the community for an offence of benefit fraud in June this year.

Sawings’ probation officer instructed him to do the payback work each Sunday but on August 5 and 12 he failed to attend.

He still had 78 hours of the work left to do. Stephen Duffy, defending, said his client had a large debt to repay to the Department of Work and Pensions.

He needed to keep his job as a window fitter and had been juggling his employment and the need to do payback work.

Sawings had not at first told his employer he had payback work to do and he had to be in the Fylde Coast area one day a week.

He had now informed his boss and would be given the flexibility to do the unpaid work.