Wigan's Court round-up

A banned motorist caught drink-driving and with cocaine on him, while giving a lift to two women including his pregnant partner, has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Tony Meehan, 37, of Bradshaw Street, Orrell, appeared before Wigan and Leigh magistrates to admit driving while disqualified and uninsured, possessing a class A drug and being at the wheel when a test showed that he had 60 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the legal limit being 35.

The bench sentenced him to 12 weeks in prison but suspended the term for 24 months, the chair telling Meehan,“You were only disqualified from driving a few months ago.

“You knew you were disqualified and yet you chose to drive again whilst intoxicated and whilst you were disqualified.

“It is no excuse at all that you made the decision to drive instead of the owner of that vehicle. This was a deliberate and flagrant breach of the court disqualification.

“This offence is made even more serious by the fact that you have offended whilst subject to a community order imposed for your previous offending.

“You seem determined to put yourself and other road users and your pregnant partner at risk of injury or death by your behaviour.”

The hearing was told that police stopped Meehan’s Renault Megane on Orrell Road, Pemberton, on September 25, as he drove back from a visit to the pub and he was breathalysed and searched.

As well as the suspended jail sentence, he was hit with a new, three-year road ban and must pay a fine, costs and victim services surcharge which together come to £493.

A young motorist has been accused of a hit-and-run crash involving a Wigan road’s central reservation.

Nathan Fitton, 26, of Lowther Drive, Leigh, is charged with driving off after colliding with street furniture on a traffic island on Martland Mill Lane, while having no insurance or licence on April 14.

The case was adjourned until November 30 when he will once again appear before Wigan and Leigh magistrates.

A teenager who was found to be two and a half times over the drink-drive limit has received a two-year road ban.

Eleanor Finch, 19, of Balliol Way, Ashton, admitted to having 100 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath when police stopped her in a Vauxhall Corsa on Old Road, Ashton, on July 22. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

A fine, costs and victim surcharge mean she also has £359 to pay.

A man who carried out several petty thefts in Wigan has been given a two-year conditional discharge.

Malcolm Ellison, 54, of Kimberley Place, Ashton, admitted to stealing jars of coffee from B&M Bargains, a carton of milk and washing tablets from the same store on other occasions, £108 worth of T-shirts from Peacocks and more coffee from Tesco in August and September.

He also admitted a breach of bail.

As well as the discharge, Ellison must also pay a £40 fine, £85 costs and £34 to victim services.

A young woman has been spared an immediate prison term after admitting she was drunkenly armed with a craft knife in the Street.

Tanya Paton, 25, of Wellfield Road, Beech Hill, appeared before Wigan magistrates to plead guilty to having a bladed weapon in a public place - Rivington Drive - on August 4.

She was given a six-month custodial sentence but it was suspended for 12 months.

The bench told her that aggravating circumstances included her aggression at the time and the fact that she tried to conceal the knife.

Paton must also taken part in 12 months of rehabilitation activities and pay costs and a victim services surcharge totalling £213.

A year-long road disqualification has been imposed on a motorist who was found to have taken cannabis before driving.

Martin Jackson, 35, of Dicconson Lane, Aspull, appeared before Wigan magistrates to admit to being under the influence of the Class B drug when at the wheel of a Volkswagen Golf on Orlando Street, on March 24.

He was fined £400 and must pay £40 to victim services and another £85 in court costs.

A shoplifter assaulted and threatened a member of staff who tried to prevent his thieving, Wigan magistrates heard.

Steven Blackledge, 41, of Woodhouse Lane, Springfield, pleaded guilty to menacing and assaulting Jeffrey Kenyon by beating after he snatched chocolate and coffee from B&M Bargains on July 11.

His 12-week prison sentence was suspended for 12 months but he must complete 15 days of rehabilitation activities, undergo a night time curfew at his home until December 27, pay £100 in compensation to his victim and another £122 to victim services.

Two men have denied trying to steal cash from a Wigan Council parking meter.

Jason Kelly, 35, of School Lane, Scholes, and Shaun Liprot, 40, of Willow Road, Beech Hill, appeared before borough magistrates to a charge of attempted theft on November 5 last year.

The case was adjourned until a trial takes place at the same court on March 22 and the pair are on unconditional bail until then.

One of Wigan’s most prolific thieves has been spared an immediate return to jail after her latest shoplifting spree.

Borough magistrates heard that Zara Fairhurst was banned from both TK Maxx and Asda at Robin Park and yet on October 27 - only 19 days after the end of her latest spell behind bars - she went to both shops and stolen from them.

From the former store she took three pairs of wireless headphones worth almost £60 and from the hypermarket she snatched a high visibilty jacket.

The 30-year-old of Vulcan Road, Marsh Green, is a regular visitor to Wigan’s courts of justice.

In August she was given a 16-week jail term after admitting she stole £667 worth of goods from Asda at Newtown while breaching a criminal behaviour order which had only been imposed in March for previous offences.

In May she had been given a 20-week term for stealing meats from Lidl, justices then remarking on her “appalling record of offending.”

This time she was given a total of 20 weeks in custody but the sentences was suspended for 18 months.

Fairhurst was also put on a drug rehab programme and must complete 20 days of rehabilitation activities.

Court costs and a victim services surcharge mean she also has £207 to pay.

A man has denied being more than three times over the legal drink-drive limit.

Paul Stockforth, 45, of Armistead Street, Hindley, is alleged to have given a reading of 120 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath when police stopped a Peugeot 208 in Armistead Street on September 26.

The legal limit is 35. He was remanded on unconditional bail until a trial at the same court on February 22.

A Hindley Prison inmate has admitted to unlawfully possessing an iPhone and mobile.

Shane Appleton, 22, pleaded guilty before Wigan magistrates to having the two communication devices (a Zanco mobile phone and Apple iPhone) at the jail on May 16 in contravention of the Prisons Act 1952.

He will be sentenced by a Bolton Crown Court judge on November 25.

A young Wigan sports club manager has been given a community punishment for fleecing his own organisation out of thousands of pounds.

Borough magistrates heard that one of Greg Wilde’s jobs at Golborne Parkside Sports and Community Club was to take bookings for functions such as birthday parties and wedding receptions.

But instead of giving customers the club’s bank account details, the 26-year-old gave them his own.

This went on from August 2018 through to June 2019, by which time the organisation’s treasurer had spotted that bookings were being taken but the commensurate money wasn’t going into the club account, the alarm was raised and a police investigation launched.

The inquiries led to manager Wilde’s door.

He initially denied stealing any money, saying it was an accident and then made partial admissions to the police by which time it was concluded that in total he had salted away £2,350. And when the matter finally came before justices Wilde, of Derby Road, Golborne, pleaded guilty to the proceeds’ theft.

Returning to court for sentencing, he was ordered by the bench to carry out 250 hours’ unpaid work over the next 12 months and return all the money he had stolen.

He must pay a further £170 in court costs and a victim services surcharge.

A young man has been accused of possessing banned drugs with intent to supply them.

Mahyar Ghadri, 21, of Prestt Grove, Worsley Mesnes, is charged with peddling cocaine and diamorphine, plus possessing cannabis and cash deemed to be criminal proceeds.

He has yet to enter pleas and the matter was committed to Bolton Crown Court where Ghadri will make a first appearance on November 25.

He is on unconditional bail until then.

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