These are the latest cases and convictions from Blackpool Magistrates' Court - Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Samuel Opera, 20, theft

A 20 -year-old man who found himself in Blackpool without money turned to shoplifting to ease his plight.

Samuel Opera stole three bottles of aftershave valued at £250 from Debenhams.

Opera admitted the theft at Blackpool Magistrates Court where he was fined £145 with £115 costs.

However .District Judge Jane Goodwin waived payment of the punishment beacuse of the time Opera a supermarket worker from Oldham had spent in custody .His lawyer Michael

Woosnam said :”he was staying with cousins in Blackpool but had no money.”

Richard Helm, 35, assault

A man has been bailed so that pre sentence reports by probation on him can be prepared.

Richard Helm, 35, of St Leonard’s Road,Blackpool admitted three assaults on women and admitted criminal damage to a door and photo frames when he appeared before District Judge Jane Goodwin.

Mark Kirkwood, 23, driving while disqualified, drving without insurance

A Blackpool man has denied driving whilst banned from the road.

Mark Kirkwood, 23, of Gynn Avenue also pleaded not guilty to driving without insurance.

Magistrates bailed Kirkwood until his trial on June 10.

Luke Goodman, 35, possession of a pointed article in public

A Bispham man has admitted having a pointed article-a screwdriver-in public.

Luke Goodman, 35, of Norbreck Road, had the screwdriver in the town’s Co Op store.

District Judge Goodwin sentenced him to an eight week curfew and he must pay £175 costs.

The. Court heard Goodman had Been drinking at the time of the offence but had not brandished the screw driver at anyone.

Rachel Travis, 26, drug-driving

A mother-of-two had drugs in her body when she crashed into a lamppost on Blackpool Promenade.

Rachel Travis, unemployed, aged 26, of Handsworth Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to two offences of drug driving.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 20 months, fined £80 with £85 costs and ordered to pay £90 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Paul Huxley, said police got an emergency call to go to an accident on Blackpool Promenade, on October 5, at about 1am.

Officers found Travis’s Volkswagen Golf had collided with a lamppost in the central reservation as she had tried to turn into Pleasant Street.

She was on the pavement nearby and taken to hospital where a blood test showed 4.6 units of cannabis -the limit is 2 and 800 units of benzoylecgonine -50 is the limit.

Travis admitted smoking cannabis a few hours previously and being a regular user of cocaine.

Patrick Nelligan, defending, said his client had been the victim of a serious assault. This had hung over her and she turned to drugs.

She was now working with various agencies to sort out her problems.

Luke Fern, 24, disorderly behaviour

A man was arrested after causing a fracas when he was refused entry to Blackpool Football Club.

Luke Fern, a pub worker, 24, of Adswood Close, Stockport, pleaded guilty to behaving in a disorderly manner.

He was given a 12 months conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 costs with £21 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Paul Huxley, said police and stewards at Blackpool Football Club described Fern as becoming very angry when he was refused entry to the ground on February 25.

Fern was said to be loud aggressive and swearing. He was asked to leave on numerous occasions but failed to do so and was arrested.

Fern, who had no previous convictions, said in his job working at a pub he had to clear away drugs at times.

As he went to enter the ground police dogs jumped up at him and officials then refused to let him into the ground,

Fern, added that the trip to the match was his brother’s birthday present, and said: “I wanted to be searched to prove I had nothing on me and then be let into the ground. I got irate.”