Fleetwood: From the courts 24-02-16

James Baylor was speeding and police backed off because they feared he would lose control on a series of blind and tight bends.

He and a woman passenger later abandoned the car and were found hiding behind another vehicle after police tracked their footsteps in the snow.

Baylor, a 19-year-old builder, of Leslie Avenue, Thornton, pleaded guilty to failing to stop when requested by police, having no insurance and driving not in accordance with his provisional licence.

He was fined £250 with £85 costs, ordered to pay £25 victims’ surcharge and had eight motoring penalty points put on his licence by District Judge David Scanlon sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

The judge told him: “You are lucky you did not cause serious injury or fatality to yourself or your passenger and lucky something was not coming the other way.”

Malcolm Isherwood, prosecuting, said about 2am police saw Baylor driving a Peugeot on Breck Road, on January 17.

The vehicle was showing as having no insurance.

Police turned on their vehicle’s blue lights to signal him to stop, but he turned towards Skippool and his speed increased to more than 45mph in a 30mph zone.

There was snow and ice on the road, so police backed off fearing Baylor could lose control or there could be a head-on collision.

Officers lost the car but later saw it abandoned and followed footsteps in the snow from the vehicle to Brookfield Avenue where Baylor and a female were found crouching by a car bumper.

Howard Green, defending, said his client, who had learning difficulties, panicked when he saw the police behind him as he was a learner driver and he had no insurance.

Mr Green added: “At the time he was under considerable stress. His grandfather was dying and subsequently died. He had been caring for his grandfather for four or five days and during that time he had not had a wink of sleep.”

• A convicted sex offender failed to tell police his address as he was legally obliged to.

Peter Owen, 37, of North Promenade, Cleveleys, committed the offence in July last year.

He was not present at court but defence lawyer, Gerry Coyle, entered a plea of guilty on his behalf to breaching his sex offenders registration order. It was Owen’s ninth breach of the order.

He was bailed to March 2 for pre-sentence reports by Blackpool magistrates.

• A teenager who said he learned to drive by playing on his X-box took his mother’s car and crashed it.

Connor Griffin lost control of the Jaguar X-type on a bend, careered through fence posts and hit a lamp post before ploughing into a field.

Griffin’s parents were so annoyed by his behaviour they ask him to leave their home.

The 19-year-old former window-maker, of Whinfield Avenue, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to the aggravated taking of his mum’s car without consent and driving without a licence or insurance.

He was sentenced to a 12 months community order with 120 hours unpaid work for the community, disqualified from driving for one year and ordered to pay £250 compensation plus £85 costs by District Judge Roger Lowe sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

The judge told him: “This was a foolish escapade. Your mother’s car was a nice one and you haven’t half done some damage to it. No wonder she was upset. I hope you have apologised to her and that you are able to get back into the bosom of your family.”

Pam Smith, prosecuting, said police arrived at Griffin’s parents house on January 26 about midnight, and told them their son had taken his mother’s car from where it had been parked outside their home.

Griffin was driving along Fleetwood Road North, Fleetwood, when he lost control and hit fence posts a lamp post and crashed into a field.

The prosecutor added: “When interviewed by police, Griffin said he had learned to drive by playing on his X-box.

“He took his mother’s car to go and see a friend who was having surgery the following day.”

Peter Cave, defending said after the accident Griffin had borrowed a phone from a bus driver, who stopped to see if he was OK. He had then phoned the police and told them what he had done.

In a report on Griffin, probation officer Lesley Whittaker, told the judge that Griffin said he had never had driving lessons, but he recalled his mum telling people her car was an automatic so anyone should be able to drive it.