Wigan's court round-up

A Wigan man who stole hundreds of pounds worth of duty-free items from Manchester Airport has been given a community punishment. Darren Hurley, 54, of Mannion House, Scholes, appeared before borough justices to plead guilty to snatching £1,292 worth of cosmetic items from Biza Duty Free and headphones worth £200 from WHSmith on July 17 and then refused to give police a sample when they suspected he might have taken drugs. He was ordered to carry out 15 hours of rehabilitation activities and 120 hours of unpaid work. A fine, costs and victim surcharge mean he also has £260 to pay.

A teenaged motorist who admitted dangerous driving has been spared an immediate spell behind bars. Mitchell Walters, 19, of South Avenue, Leigh, was at the wheel of a Ford Mondeo driven dangerously on Abbey Street without a licence or insurance, a Bolton judge heard. He was sentenced to eight months in prison but the term was suspended for 12 months. He was also banned from driving for a year after which he must take an extended retest and there are 100 hours of unpaid work to complete.

A woman who ignored a Wigan Council enforcement notice about land use and materials is facing a four-figure bill. Tracy Wadsworth, 49, of Broomflat Close, Standish, stood before Wigan magistrates to admit failing to remove a brick retaining wall from a nearby public bridleway and materials causing part of the land to be higher while using the path for vehicular access, despite being ordered by the local authority to do so. Fines, costs and a victim services surcharge mean she has £1,006 to pay.

A man who denies a flashing offence will have to wait nine months before he can have his case heard at court. James Williamson, 63, of Trevore Drive, Standish is accused of indecently exposing himself at some point between May 1 and September 1, 2018. A trial date of July 7, 2022 was set by a Bolton judge.

A Wigan woman has admitted to flytipping. Justine Jevons, of Brookhouse Street, Scholes, was charged with dumping shopping bags full of bottles, cans, soiled nappies, cat litter and waste food in the back yard of an address in Sydney Street, Platt Bridge, on September 19, October 9 and November 13, 2019. She pleaded guilty to the offence and borough magistrates adjourned sentencing until October 15.

A flytipper who dumped building waste in a housing estate alleyway is facing a big bill. Damien Turner, 34, of Cornwall Place, Wigan, appeared before borough magistrates to admit depositing rubble and larger grey stones in a walkway off Redwood Avenue, Orrell, on or before August 8, 2019. He also pleaded guilty to ignoring a letter from the Secretary of State requesting information which had subsequently been served on him. Fines, added to court costs and a victim services surcharge mean that Turner needs to fork out £2,420.

A motorist who was caught at the wheel while banned has been further disqualified from driving. Patrick Boswell, 26, of Little Lane, Goose Green, had appeared before Wigan justices to admit to driving a Ford Transit Tipper while disqualified and doing so without insurance. Sentence was handed down by a Bolton judge who gave him a new 14-month road ban and a 12-month community order including 80 hours of unpaid work.

A man who turned his gardens into a rubbish tip has been convicted in his absence. Robin Flindall failed to attend Wigan Magistrates’ Court to face a charge of flouting a notice serviced on him to clean up the mess outside the house in Sherwood Drive, Norley. He had been ordered to remove waste materials from his back garden, car wrecks from the front garden and tidy outbuildings that were also proving an eyesore. But the bench found him guilty without his being there and he was hit with a fine, court costs and victim services surcharge totalling £1,026.

A man has denied launching a vicious assault and smashing a window. Layton Mullock, 21, of Laburnum Grove, Beech Hill, stood before Wigan justices to plead not guilty to causing Stevie Hastings grievous bodily harm and shattering a £200 double-glazed unit belonging to Lorna Kenny on or around August 1. He was released on conditional bail until he re-appears on October 5.

A Wigan woman who admitted to a series of motoring offences including dangerous driving and fleeing the scene of an accident has been jailed. Kerry Taylor, 44, of Leader Street, Scholes, had stood before borough justices to plead guilty to taking a black Renault car without the owner’s consent on August 9, then driving it dangerously in Whelley during which time it was involved in a hit-and-run crash with a Toyota Aygo. And this happened while Taylor was banned from the road and had neither a valid licence nor insurance to be legitimately behind the wheel. Sent to Bolton Crown Court for sentencing, she was given a prison term of 12 months and banned from the road for three years.

A Wigan man denying he attacked a nurse and a security guard will stand trial at Bolton Crown Court next year. Peter Howarth, 27, of Wesley Street, Pemberton, is accused of assaulting Paul Bullough and John Hayworth during the course of their duties on April 15. A trial date of June 28, 2022 was set.

A man who admitted causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a 10-year-old child in Wigan has been jailed for 20 months. Martin Kelman, 39, of HMP Wymott in Leyland, had been further charged with distributing indecent images of children, four of which fell into the most serious category (A). Admitting these too, he appeared before a Bolton Crown Court judge for sentencing. As well as the custodial term he was ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years and is the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period. The devices on which the images had been found were also forfeited.

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