Fleetwood: From the courts 04-05-16

Derek Whitehurst, 54, of Leven Avenue, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

He was banned from the road for 17 months, fined £120 with £85 costs and ordered to pay £30 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.

Prosecutor, Kerry Grieve, said police saw Whitehurst in a Ford Focus on Chatsworth Avenue, Fleetwood, on April 14 at 6.30pm.

A breath test showed 61 micrograms of alcohol in his body - 35 is the limit.

When interviewed, Whitehurst told police he had drunk three-and-a-half to four pints in the pub then driven to buy more alcohol, and finally home.

Whitehurst, who apologised, said his mother had recently been diagnosed with cancer. He was the main carer for his mother and father, who are in their eighties. He had driven for their doctor and hospital appointments and shopping trips and they would all be lost without a car.

• A teenage boy accused of breaching his bail by entering Fleetwood has appeared at court.

The 17-year-old, from Manchester, who can not be identified because of legal reasons, is also alleged to have broken an anti-social behaviour order by being at the junction of Medlock and Rede avenues, Fleetwood, an area he was prohibited from.

The boy was bailed to Blackpool’s Youth Court by District Judge Roger Lowe sitting at the resort’s magistrates court.

He must live at his given address, keep a 9pm to 7am curfew and not enter Fleetwood as conditions of his bail.

• A dad of two who made his first appearance at court accused of burgling his former girlfriend’s Fleetwood home, has been banned from the port.

John Bailey, 37, of Fairhaven Road, Fleetwood, pleaded not guilty to burglary.

Bailey was bailed to June 7 for trial by District Judge Roger Lowe sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

In addition to prohibiting Bailey from entering Fleetwood he was ordered to live at Blackburn Place, Thornton, as condition of his bail.

• A pest controller found himself under arrest after he sent a rude message to his former girlfriend about her new boyfriend.

Mark Seddon referred to the new partner as a “fat bellied Cod head” when he posted the message via Whats App to his ex.

Seddon, 48, of Ormerod Street, Thornton, pleaded guilty to sending a grossly offensive electronic message.

He was fined £500 with £85 costs, ordered to pay £50 victims’ surcharge and put on a two year restraining order which banned him from contacting the complainant by District Judge David Noble sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

Eddie Harrison, prosecuting, said Seddon and his ex had been in a relationship for six years but broke-up last year. Seddon continued to contact her and he was eventually given a harassment warning notice by police.

On February 28, he sent her a message on Whats App which was offensive about her new boyfriend and called him ‘a fat bellied Cod head’.

John McLaren, defending, said the breakdown between the couple had not been smooth. During the relationship Seddon said he had been paying back money his girlfriend owed her mother.

After they split-up Seddon said he was approached by relatives of his ex’s mum and threatened in the street and at the club in Cleveleys where he worked part-time behind the bar.

The message was the culmination of the upset Seddon felt. He had sent it after having too much to drink he was sorry he had done it.

• A man who had pleaded not guilty to assaulting a woman at Fleetwood has had the case against him dropped.

Robert Sumner, 48, of Hatfield Avenue, Fleetwood, had the case discontinued by Blackpool magistrates.

• A factory worker was more than twice over the limit when police saw him driving erratically.

Galin Aleksandrov, a 35-year-old Bulgarian, of North Church Street, Fleetwood, who had the court proceedings relayed to him by an interpreter, 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 by Blackpool magistrates.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said police received information about a VW Passat being driven on Dock Street, Fleetwood on April 9 at 5.53am.

They followed the car and saw the defendant driving erratically. A breath test showed 81 micrograms of alcohol in his body - 35 is the limit.

Peter Cave, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, had been on his way home from a party.

• A man put goods from a shop in his rucksack and walked out without paying.

Andrew Mee, 25, of Rossall Road, Cleveleys, pleaded guilty to theft.

Pam Smith, prosecuting, said Mee put more than £100 of hygiene products in his rucksack at Wilkinsons store, Nutter Road, Cleveleys on February 21. His payment card would not work and he walked out without paying.

Patrick Nelligan, defending, said his client was in poor health with blood clots in his legs. Mee could not remember the circumstances of the theft.

Mee was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £112 compensation by District Judge Roger Lowe sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

• A grandfather who was banned from contacting a previous girlfriend got into trouble with the law when he sent her a message after eight years of non-communication.

Andrew Slinger sent her a message on Facebook asking if she had photographs of a racing car they were once both interested in, so he could show his son and grandson.

Slinger, 47, of Garstang Road, Pilling, pleaded guilty to breaching a restraining order.

He was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 costs with £15 victims’ surcharge by District Judge David Noble sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

The judge told him: “This was clearly a one-off incident and there were no threats of violence.”

Eddie Harrison, prosecuting, said Slinger had previously been sent to prison for harassing his former partner and in July 2008 he had been put on an indefinite restraining order which banned him from contacting his ex.

The prosecutor said: “On February 12 this year the complainant was surprised and shocked to receive a message on Facebook from the defendant.

“It stated ‘Hope you are well. Do you have a picture of the racing car at Windermere so I can show my son and grandson’.”

Michael Woosnam, defending, said his client had kept out of trouble for eight years and not contacted his ex. When interviewed by police Slinger could not recall the restraining order.

Slinger had injuries to his neck and back and was suffering from a deteriorating medical condition. He had wanted photographs to show his son and grandson.

• A father was over the alcohol limit when he drove on a mercy mission to see his ill son.

Aaron Harper was stopped after police saw him driving erratically, varying his speed and moving from side-to-side of the road.

Harper, a 27-year-old groundworker, of Taywood Road, Thornton, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

Pam Smith, prosecuting, said police on North Drive, Cleveleys, saw Harper driving a VW Golf erratically on April 8 at 2.35am.

A breath test showed 66 micrograms of alcohol in his body – 35 is the limit.

He had a previous drink-driving conviction from 2009 and was on a suspended prison sentence for an offence of assault.

Steven Townley, defending, said Harper had been at home and had had a drink as he did not intend going out.

He then received a call from his previous partner, who was somewhat hysterical, and told him their son was very ill. His ex did not have a car so he got in his vehicle and was driving to her home when he was stopped by the police.

As a groundworker he needed to drive to do his job so his employers had had to let him go.

Harper was banned from the road for 46 months and fined £120 with £85 costs plus £30 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.

• A man found with a bag of cannabis in his car said he smoked the drug to help him sleep.

Christopher Aspinall, aged 33, of Cleveleys Avenue, Cleveleys, pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis.

Pam Smith, prosecuting, said a community support police officer saw Aspinall’s car stop in a known drug dealing area of Dickson Road on February 21 at 5pm. He was stopped later in Cleveleys and a bag of cannabis found in the car.

Aspinall told magistrates a number of family members had serious health problems and he had smoked a little bit of cannabis to get to sleep.

Aspinall was fined £130 with £85 costs and ordered to pay £20 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.

• A tip-off to police netted a man committing his fourth offence of drink-driving.

Michael Wilson was more than twice over the limit when police stopped his car after he left a pub.

Wilson, a 24-year-old groundworker, of Brockholes Crescent, Poulton, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol without insurance or a licence.

He was sentenced to a 12 months community order with up to 30 days rehabilitation to be supervised by the probation service, put on a 14 weeks curfew from 7pm to 7am, disqualified from driving for 46 months and ordered to pay £85 costs with £85 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.

Presiding magistrate, Neil Atkinson, told him: “I can not express to you how close you were to a custodial sentence because of your record.”

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said police received information about the driver of a Ford Fiesta who had left a pub swaying on April 10 about 8pm.

Officers saw the car on East Park Drive and stopped it. Asked if he had had a drink Wilson replied “Yes I’ll be over the limit.”

A breath test showed 73 micrograms of alcohol in his body – 35 is the limit.

He had three previous convictions for driving with excess alcohol.

Steven Townley, defending, said Wilson had been drinking heavily the night before. The next day he went to watch football in a pub, had a meal and drank two pints of lager which added to the alcohol he had had the night before.

• A project manager pushed his stepdaughter onto a bed when she tried intervened in an argument between himself and his wife.

Andrew Dunstan sent her flying backwards causing her to bang her head on a bedside cabinet and suffer a slight scratch.

Dunstan, aged 53, of Kevin Avenue, Poulton, pleaded guilty to assault.

He was fined £500 with £85 costs and ordered to pay his stepdaughter £50 compensation plus £50 victims’ surcharge by District Judge David Noble sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

Dunstan was also made the subject of a two year restraining order which prohibits him from contacting his wife and stepdaughter or entering their home road on Gorse Avenue, Thornton Cleveleys.

Prosecutor, Eddie Harrison, said on February 20 about 10.30pm the 24-year-old stepdaughter said Dunstan was drunk and being abusive and threatening to her mother. When she tried to intervene Dunstan pushed her,

Martin Hillson, defending, said there had been marital problems between Dunstan and his wife for some time. Dunstan had remained with his wife as she had health problems and he wanted to help and support her.

The night of the offence Dunstan and his wife argued over the volume at which he had the television. Since the offence he had left the family home and divorce proceedings had started.

• Three men accused of being involved in the robbery of a man at Blackpool have made their first appearance at court.

Timothy Palin, 19, of Dinmore Avenue, Grange Park, Blackpool, and Michael Wilson, 25, of Brockholes Crescent, Poulton, are charged with robbing a man of tobacco.

Phillip O’Hagan, 20, of Hammond Place, Blackpool, is charged with assaulting the alleged robbery victim and stealing one of his bank cards.

The offences are alleged to have taken place on April 24 at Bispham.

Pam Smith, prosecuting, asked for the case to go to crown court.

The defendants were bailed to appear at Preston Crown Court on May 25 by District Judge Roger Lowe sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

They must not associate with each other or enter Kincraig Place, Bispham, nor contact the victim and they must live at their given addresses keeping a 7pm to 7am curfew as conditions of their bail.