Latest convictions from Blackpool Magistrates' Court - Thursday, December 13, 2018

Robert Heritage, 26, malicious wounding

A man accused of punching another man resulting in him ended up in a coma has made his first appearance at court.

Robert Heritage is said to have knocked the man unconscious leaving him critically ill, having to be placed in an induced coma and spending several weeks in hospital.

Heritage, 26, of Thornber Grove, Blackpool, is charged with malicious wounding a man causing him grievous bodily harm.

The offence is alleged to have taken place on August 17 at Blackpool.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, asked for the case to be heard at crown court. Defence lawyer, Stephen Duffy, said his client would not indicate a plea to the offence at that stage.

Heritage was bailed to appear at Preston Crown Court on January 9.

Callum Thompson, 20, failing to comply with court order

A man who broke three court orders has been jailed.

Callum Thompson, 20, formerly of Blackpool now living at Yeoman Close, Worksop, pleaded guilty to three offences of failing to comply with an order.

He was sentenced to nine months in a Young Offenders’ Institute.

Charmain Price, prosecuting on behalf of the probation service, said Thompson had been sentenced to eight months, suspended for a year for an offence of assault.

He was also on a conditional discharge for an offence of stealing from a shop and on post prison sentence supervision after serving time for assault causing actual bodily harm Thompson failed to attend appointments he was required to go to with his probation officer.

Patrick Nelligan, defending, said Thompson had had a difficult upbringing because of problems with his mother and father and he had been brought up by his grandmother in Blackpool.

Since he was 16 it had become a problem for him to live with his gran and he had effectively become homeless. It was accepted he had a lengthy criminal record but everything now seemed to be going well with his life.

He had an address, a partner, was receiving benefits and an interview scheduled for work in a warehouse.

Jenny Atkinson, 47, drink-driving, failed to provide a breath specimen

A woman who drove into a lamppost in Blackpool after drinking has avoided being sent to jail.

Jenny Atkinson was arrestered after driving her damaged BMW into the Co-op car park off Lawsons Road, where the bumper fell off.

Atkinson, 47, of Donnington Road, Poulton, pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drink and failed to provide a breath specimen for alcohol testing.

She was sentenced to 18 weeks jail, suspended for two years, banned from the road for four years and ordered to pay £85 costs with £115 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said a witness saw Atkinson driving a damaged BMW onto a car park on November 25, at 12.20pm, where she was driving erratically.

The witness went to see if she was OK and could smell alcohol from the open window.

Atkinson had the ignition on and tried to reverse.

Police arrived and enquiries revealed Atkinson had hit a lamppost. She would not take a roadside breath test or the required breathalyser tests at the police station.

She had a previous drink driving conviction from 2014.

Fraser Green, 41, drink-driving

An off-duty police officer apprehended a drink-driver after hearing a bang when she was in her home.

Fraser Green had driven on after crashing into a parked Land Rover in his boss’s van and then ended up half on and half off the pavement near the officer’s home.

Green, a 41-year-old joiner, of Tarnway Avenue, Thornton, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

He was banned from the road for 20 months, fined £200 with £85 costs and ordered to pay £30 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said a police officer who had finished duty and gone home heard a loud bang and then a revving noise on November 11, at 5.20pm.

A man on a bike was shouting at Green that he had crashed into a car and driven off.

The officer went and spoke to Green noticing there were empty lager cans in the transit van he was driving when he collided with the Land Rover on Tarn Road, Thornton.

A breath test showed he was more than twice over the limit with 85 microgrammes of alcohol in his body - 35 is the limit.

Brett Chappell, defending, said his client appeared to have suffered a breakdown after having several bereavements in his family and having his house repossessed.

Green had used alcohol to drown his sorrows.