These are the latest cases and convictions from Blackpool Magistrates' Court - Thursday, October 10, 2019

Sarah Camm, 34, drink-driving

A businesswoman was over the alcohol limit when she crashed outside a school during the morning rush hour.

Sarah Camm, a mother-of-two, had her youngest child, an eight-year-old, in the car with her at the time of the accident.

Camm, 34, of Benedict Drive, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

She was sentenced to a 12 months community order with up to 20 days rehabilitation to be supervised by the probation service, banned from the road for 17 months, fined £170 with £85 costs and ordered to pay £90 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said police were called to a crash outside Baines School, Poulton, on September 17, at 8.38am, where Camm had had an accident in her BMW 320 involving two parked cars.

A breath test showed 64 microgrammes of alcohol in her body - 35 is the limit.

Camm told police she had not had the car long and had found it a bit too powerful.

She added she was suffering from depression because of debts and had hardly been eating.

Trevor Colebourne, defending, said his client had no previous convictions and no one had been injured in the accident.

A number of cars had been parked in the hatched no parking area outside the school as people dropped children off.

Camm was driving below 20mph trying to negotiate the parked cars with traffic coming the other way when she clipped one of the parked vehicles.

A report to the court by a probation officer stated Camm had started using alcohol after the breakdown of her marriage.

Someone had stolen £100,000 from her business, she had also been in hospital with sepsis and she was depressed.

The night before the accident she had shared a bottle of wine with a friend. She had not eaten for several days.

Richard Dawson, 37, assault and affray

A terrified woman ran through the streets of Blackpool in the early hours of the morning.

She did so after her former partner Richard Dawson had confronted her with a knife with a seven inch blade.

Dawson also pushed the woman who suffered a small cut to her hand as she tried to wrestle the knife from him in the garden of her home.

Dawson, 37, of Holbeck Avenue, Marton, admitted assault and affray.

Pam Smith, prosecuting, said the couple had ended their relationship. There had been no history of previous violence.

The prosecutor said the victim had been woken up at about 1am. She went to her front door and Dawson was there.

He put his foot in the door and went inside .He then produced a knife which he waved in front of her.

She managed to take it from him and threw it away.

He started to shout and swear and the victim ran into outside and along the road.

He followed her through the streets as she managed to use her phone to ring the police who arrived a short time later and arrested Dawson.

Dawson was given sixteen weeks jail suspended for 18 month. He must pay his victim £200 compensation and £85 court costs. He was also given an 18 month community order with 30 rehabilitation days.

Matthew Poole, 22, sending threatening text messages

A man accused of sending threatening texts to a woman has made his first appearance at court.

Matthew Poole, 22, formerly of Old Tarnbrick Way Preston, now living at Clarence Court, North Shore, is alleged to have committed the offence on September 17 at Blackpool. He was bailed on the condition he does not contact the complainant.

Nichola Marsden, 26, drink-driving

A mother-of-two was almost three times over the alcohol limit when she crashed into a taxi. Nichola Marsden then drove off without giving the cab driver her insurance details after he asked for them.

Marsden, 26, of Airdrie Place, Bispham, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

She was sentenced to an eight weeks curfew from 9pm to 6am, disqualified from driving for 25 months and ordered to pay £85 costs with £90 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said on a taxi driver was waiting on Warley Road, July 15 at 4am, when Marsden who was driving a Ford Fiesta crashed into the front nearside of the cab’s bumper.

The male passenger in Marsden’s car got out and offered the cabbie £20 to pay for the damage.

The taxi driver refused the cash and when Marsden got out of the car and staggered about he asked for her insurance details. She got into her car and drove off.