Fleetwood: From the courts 08-06-16

Adam Brooks’ behaviour was then tipped off to police by one of the men who had threatened him, a court was told.

Brooks, a 36-year-old electrician, of the Esplanade, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

He was banned from the road for 20 months, fined £120 with £40 costs and ordered to pay £30 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said police received information on May 15 at 12.28am, that the driver of a VW Golf had been drinking.

Police saw Brooks drive the car along the Esplanade and park up. A breath test showed he was more than twice over the limit with 83 micrograms of alcohol in his body – 35 is the limit.

David Charnley, defending, said Brooks had gone to a Hambleton club and had no intention of driving, but there was an incident at the club and he was threatened and chased by a group of men.

He got into his car and drove off to escape.

• A woman was more than twice over the alcohol limit when she drove from work to buy food for lunch.

Mary Baker, 61, of Maplewood Drive, Cleveleys, pleaded guilty to drink-driving.

She was banned from the road for 19 months, fined £300 with £85 costs and ordered to pay £30 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.

Martine Connah, prosecuting, said a member of the public contacted police on May 17 at 12.30pm to express their concern a driver had been drinking.

Police saw the car described leaving the Tesco superstore and stopped it on Clifton Road, Marton. A breath test showed 71 micrograms of alcohol in her body – 35 is the limit.

Allan Cobain, defending, said just a fortnight before the offence his client had been diagnosed with depression and put on medication by her doctor.

She had drunk some cider and vodka the night before the offence, but felt fit to drive to her job at a building firm.

• A learner driver taking a car on a test drive refused point blank to take breathalyser tests. Jamie Higgins, 27, of Eden Avenue, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to failing to provide a breath sample for alcohol testing, driving without insurance and not in accordance with his licence.

He was disqualified from driving for 14 months, fined £120 with £85 costs and ordered to pay £30 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates. Police saw Higgins driving a Rover, with rear end damage, erratically on Lord Street on May 17.

• A shop worker has been allowed to change the hours of his curfew because the times of his employment rota had changed.

James Wenlock, 30, of Seaway View, New Harbour Village, Fleetwood, had previously pleaded guilty to harassing his former girlfriend.

Blackpool magistrates agreed to change his curfew hours to 10pm to 5.30am, instead of 7am.

• A woman accused of having a kitchen knife in Blackpool’s Blackpool Road could not attend court because she was ill in hospital a court was told.

Sarah Hawkins, 25, of Cookson Road, Thornton, who is also charged with assaulting a police officer had her case adjourned by Blackpool magistrates.

• An engineer lost control of his van and crashed into a lamp-post at breakfast time after drinking the night before.

Ricky Lomas then insisted on having his solicitor present if he took a test to show if alcohol was in his body.

Lomas, a 36-year-old father-of-two, of Gladstone Way, Cleveleys, pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen for alcohol testing.

He was sentenced to do 200 hours unpaid work for the community, disqualified from driving for 30 months and ordered to pay £200 costs with £85 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.

Prosecutor, Chrissie Hunt, said witnesses saw Lomas’s van hit a lamp-post on Stoneygate, Cleveleys on April 23 at 7.51am.

Lomas drove on and was seen stopping on his home road. Police called to the scene saw a tumbler in the driver’s footwell which contained whisky. Officers saw Lomas at his home with facial grazing. When cautioned he said: “You have to prove it.” He refused to take a breathalyser test insisting on having his solicitor there when he took a test saying he believed he was entitled to have a lawyer there.

In a report to the court, probation officer Lesley Whittaker, said after work Lomas called to collect some money he was owed by a builder and he had two pints with him in the pub. He then drove the builder and some friends home and they had more to drink.

In the morning, believing he was not under the influence of alcohol, he drove home, but lost control on a corner and hit the lamp-post. Lomas had said the whisky in the car was not his and must have belonged to one of the other men.

Defence lawyer, David Charnley, said Lomas had made a terrible miscalculation of judgement.