Blackpool: From the courts 22-09-17

Here is Thursday’s round-up of cases at Blackpool Magistrates Court 21-09-17

Ingus Rafelds, 35, drink-driving

A dispatch supervisor was found to be almost three times over the alcohol limit when police stopped him.Ingus Rafelds, 35, of Toronto Avenue, Bispham, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

He was sentenced to a 12 months community order with 140 hours unpaid work for the community, banned from the road for two years and ordered to pay £85 costs with £85 victims’ surcharge.Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said police got a report of a Peugeot driving suspiciously, circling an abandoned car on August 19 at 1am.

Refelds was stopped and he had a male passenger with him.

There was a half empty bottle of whisky in the footwell.

A breath test showed 94 micrograms of alcohol in his body – 35 is the limit.

Leisa Splaine, defending, said her client had no previous convictions.

Rafelds said that the night of the offence he had drunk five cans and he felt fit to drive, so he decided to go and collect his wife from work.

The whisky bottle in the car belonged to his friend.

Jennifer Lewis, 41, drunk in charge of a child

A woman staying at a Blackpool hotel and looking after a six-year-old boy was so drunk she could not stand up.

Jennifer Lewis,, 41, of Stalisfield Place, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to being drunk in charge of a child.

She had a previous similar conviction from nine years ago.

Lewis was given a 12 months conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 costs with £20 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said police were called to reports of two women fighting at The Norbreck Castle Hotel, Queens Promenade, on August 17, at about 2am.

Lewis had been one of the women involved and officers found she was in charge of a six-year-old boy.

She then fell asleep and had to be roused before she could be taken into custody.

When interviewed she told police she had drunk some wine before she took the child to one of the piers and had more wine when she returned to the hotel.

In all she drank about a bottle-and-a-half of wine.

Lewis’ defence lawyer said she suffered from anxiety for which she took medication.

When she mixed alcohol with the medication it affected her adversely.

David Beatty, 54, theft

A father could not cope when his son died after becoming addicted to crystal meth, a court was told.

David Beatty relapsed into taking drugs again himself and turned to crime.

Beatty, 54, of Progress Court, Dinmore Avenue, Grange Park, pleaded guilty to theft of a mobile phone.

He was given a 12 months conditional discharge and ordered to pay £170 compensation with £30 costs.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said a refuse collector noticed his phone had been taken from the council refuse van he was working on August 14 at 11.40am.

The refuse collector’s boss checked CCTV from the refuse van and the description he gave to police matched Beatty.

Imran Majid, defending, said that at Christmas Beatty’s 15-year-old son became addicted to crystal meth and subsequently died.

Beatty could not cope and relapsed into taking drugs himself.

He committed the offence to feed his drug use.

He had now weaned himself off heroin and had no intention of using the drug again. He had also had grief counselling.

Jamie Cooper, 25, trespass and assault

A man has pleaded guilty to assaulting two male police officers at Blackpool.

Jamie Cooper, 25, of Crossmoor Drive, Bolton, also admitted trespassing on the rail lines at Blackpool North rail station.

The offences are alleged to have taken place on August 8 this year.

Cooper was bailed to October 4 for sentence.

Jake Harthill, 25, drunk in public

A man was arrested after he was found drunk in the street at Blackpool.

Jake Harthill, 25, of Platt Street, North Shore, pleaded guilty to being drunk in public.

He was given a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 costs with £20 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said police arrested Harthill for being drunk in his home road 0n August 16 at 8.20pm

He had a previous conviction for being drunk and disorderly.

Suzanne Mugford, defending, said Harthill suffered from mental health and various other health problems.