Fleetwood: From the courts 31-08-16

A couple accused of having an American Bulldog, said to have been dangerously out of control and which bit a police officer on the leg in Fleetwood, have been given a date for their trial.
Blackpool Magistrates CourtBlackpool Magistrates Court
Blackpool Magistrates Court

Mitchell Flackett, 29, of Lawson Road, Blackpool, and Rebecca Smith, 
22, of Tarn Road, Thornton, pleaded not guilty to being 
in charge of a dog dangerously out of control outside 
an address in the port’s 
Arden Green and injur-
ing a police officer on 
May 18.

Flackett further denied being in charge of the dog when it was said to be dangerously out of control in the front garden of an address in the port’s Hamlet Road.

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The defendants had their case adjourned to November 21 for trial, by District Judge Jeff Brailsford, sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

• A man accused of robbing another man of possessions including a distinctive Harley Davidson gold ring has made his first appearance at court.

Andrew Mee, 25, of Rossall Road, Cleveleys, is charged with robbery – taking the man’s ring, mobile phone and wallet on March 12.

He is also accused of causing £450 of damage to the front door of Sherratts jewellers, Victoria Road West, Cleveleys.

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Pam Smith, prosecuting, asked for the case to be heard at crown court.

Mee was bailed to appear at Preston Crown Court on September 28 by Blackpool magistrates.

He must not go within 100 metres of The Venue, North Promenade, Cleveleys, and not within 20 metres of Sherratts jewellers as conditions of his bail.

• A woman headbutted her female partner in the face causing her nose to bleed as they grappled over a phone.

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Maria Dell, 46, of North Church Street, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to assault.

Chrissie Hunt, prosecuting,said Dell, who had been drinking all day, argued with her partner on August 10 at 5.45pm.

Dell agreed to pack her bags and leave, but there was then a squabble over a phone during which the defendant headbutted her partner.

When interviewed by police Dell told officers she had a long-standing alcohol problem and that there was an element of self-defence on her part during the incident.

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Patrick Nelligan, defending, said the relationship was now over as far as Dell was concerned. She was now trying to stay teetotal.

Dell was sentenced to a 12-month community order with up to 10 days’ rehabilitation to be supervised by the probation service, put on a residence order to live at her given address for 28 days and ordered to pay £150 compensation to her victim by District Judge Jeff Brailsford sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

• Police discovered almost a quarter of a million pounds worth of cannabis at a fish merchants premises in Fleetwood, a judge was told.

Fish deliverer, Stephen Dell, had allowed the building to be used for growing and storing cannabis because he was in debt.

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Dell was engaged to the daughter of the owner of Marshall’s fish merchants and his innocent father-in-law-to-be ended up being arrested for the defendant’s crime.

Dell, 34, of Waverley Avenue, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the management of the port’s B and R buildings and permitting the production of a class B drug there on December 1 last year.

Martine Connah, prosecuting, said Dell had been a casual employee at Marshall’s delivering fish.

The buildings were leased and Dell had allowed two men to use a section of the building he had used as a gym.

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The prosecutor said: “Police found 275 established plants and a significant amount of cannabis bush which had been vacuum packed.

“The total value of the drugs was £242,270.”

When interviewed, Dell told police he had been about £2,000 in debt to two men he did not identify.

He did not want them going round to his parents so he allowed them to use part of the fish storage building and gave them a key.

He said he was told letting them use the building would cancel out his debt and that he had an idea of what was going on there.

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He had a previous conviction from 2012 for possessing class B drugs with intent to supply them.

Gerry Coyle, defending, said that Dell’s innocent father-in-law had been arrested after the cannabis was discovered.

Dell had voluntarily gone to police and told them what he had done and thankfully his father-to-be was exonerated.

Dell was bailed for sentence on September 21 at Preston Crown Court by District Judge Joanne Hirst who said: “An operation of this scale with an extremely high value of drugs recovered should be sentenced at crown court.”

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• A plumber was spoken to by police after officers became concerned about the manner of his driving,

Martin Prestedge, 37, of Redeswood Avenue, Cleveleys, pleaded guilty to driving without insurance.

He was fined £250 with £85 costs and ordered to pay £30 victims’ surcharge by District Judge Joanne Hirst sitting at Blackpool Magistrates Court.

Martine Connah, prosecuting, said police went to the address of the registered keeper of a Ford Mondeo on July 12 about midnight, after officers became concerned about the way the vehicle was driven on Norbreck Drive.

Prestedge admitted he had been driving the car.

Prestedge told the judge that it was his partner’s vehicle and he had believed he was on the insurance policy to drive it.

After being arrested he had lost his van and job.