Blackpool: From the courts 07/06/17

John Hartley, 37, assault

A father-of-two who grabbed a pub landlady’s husband by the throat and pinned him to a wall has been jailed.

John Hartley went to The Top House pub, Freckleton Street, Kirkham, after nasty comments had been made about his sister on social media.

Hartley, 37, of Weeton Road, Wesham, pleaded guilty to assault.

At the time of the offence he was on a suspended prison sentence for an offence of assault.

He was sentenced to 13 weeks jail and ordered to pay £115 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said Hartley went to The Top House pub, which he had previously been barred from, on May 7.

When he was asked to leave he grabbed the landlady’s husband by the throat and pinned him against the wall.

When interviewed Hartley said he grabbed the victim because he would not answer questions about his sister.

Malcolm Cartwright, defending, said Hartley’s sister, who had previously worked at the pub, had received some text and Facebook messages which she complained to the police about.

Hartley believed his sister was being mistreated and in an act of misplace chivalry went to the pub to ask if anything was known about the messages.

He had a good relationship with landlady and her husband and had not been barred from the pub.

He had grabbed the landlady’s husband by the top of his shirt and pushed him, but the victim suffered no injury.

Hartley had not been to prison before.

Here is Tuesday’s round-up of cases at Blackpool Magistrates Court 06-06-17

John Kennedy, 38, taking a Vauxhall Combo van without consent, driving carelessly without insurance and not in accordance with his expired learner’s licence

A man took his mother’s boyfriend’s van to drive to a Blackpool estate to buy heroin.

John Kennedy was seen on the journey driving erratically, hitting kerbs and stopping dead in the road.

Kennedy, 38, of Promenade Road, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to taking a Vauxhall Combo van without consent, driving carelessly without insurance and not in accordance with his expired learner’s licence.

He was sentenced to a six weeks curfew from 8pm to 7am, banned from the road for 12 months and ordered to pay £85 costs with £85 victims’ surcharge.

Presiding magistrate, Christine Houghton, told him: “We feel sorry you have let yourself down after 10 years.

“We hope this was just a blip and you can get your life back on track.”

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said a witness saw Kennedy driving a van erratically near Morrisons, Cleveleys, on April 13 about 9pm.

He kept swerving into oncoming traffic, hitting kerbs and then stopping in the road.

When interviewed Kennedy told police he was driving erratically because he was trying to change radio channels and that he had taken the van to drive to the Grange Park estate to buy heroin.

Brett Chappell, defending, said Kennedy, who had previously been a heroin addict, had kept out of trouble for 10 years.

Kennedy had made a vow to get off street drugs.

He got help from drug specialists and been given methadone.

Around the time of the offences he had two or three bereavements.

They affected him mentally and for the first time in seven years he missed picking up his methadone prescription.

He felt unwell and reverted to going to buy street drugs.

Bryan Sweeney, 41, driving with excess alcohol

A garage mechanic was more than twice over the alcohol limit when he drove after going to a barbecue.

Bryan Sweeney, 41, of Crescent Court, The Promenade, Blackpool, 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.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said police saw Sweeney speeding along Blackpool Promenade at 60mph in a Mini Cooper on May 7.

A breath test showed 82 micrograms of alcohol in his body - 35 is the limit.

Sweeney told magistrates that everything got on top of him after two of his friends had died, his parents were very ill and he lost his job.

He said he had been to a barbecue and did not realise how much he had drunk. He was disgusted with himself.

Liam Swayne, 25, assault

A man ended a marathon drinking binge in a flurry of violence in which he punched three women in the face.

Liam Swayne was jailed for 16 weeks after he admitted three assaults and a charge of threatening behaviour towards a police officer.

The court heard that Swayne, 25, of Yorkshire Street, Blackpool had gone out in the early evening and had continued to drink all through the night until he found himself in ther Kaos bar on Queen Street at 5am.

As a joke he started to throw ice cubes at female members of the security staff but things swiftly turned nasty, said prosecutor Malcolm Isherwood.

As they asked him to leave and started to shepherd Swayne towards the door he became violent and punched both women in the face.

He then let fly with punches at anyone who came near him.

He was finally ushered outside when he started to argue with a man.

A woman member of the public tried to calm Swayne down but then he turned on her and punched her face.

Police arrived on the scene and in the street Swayne picked up a pint glass and threatened to throw it at one officer.

He refused to put the glass down and the officer was forced to use PAVAspray on Swayne to arrest him.

At the police station he continued to be aggressive, said the prosecutor.

Defence lawyer Kathryn Jamieson-Sinclair said her client had just started a two year eight month sentence imposed at Crown Court for a series of offences which included violence.

She told magistrates: “This man was in a terrible state of intoxication he had been drinking through the night since 6.30pm.

“He knows now how dreadful his conduct was.”

He will serve the 16 weeks sentence concurrent to his Crown Court sentence.

David Levi, 41, possession of a police issued baseball cap

A man has made his first appearance at court and pleaded not guilty to being in possession of a police issued baseball cap.

David Levi, 41, of St Andrews Road South, St Annes, had his case adjourned to September 1 for trial.