All the cases from Blackburn magistrates court this week - from a 'barefoot and hysterical' woman to a benefit fraud dad

Here is a round-up of all the cases at Blackburn Magistrates over the last seven days.

Police had to pepper-spray man after he put belt around neck

Robert McKintosh became abusive and aggressive towards officers, spitting at them and claiming he had Covid-19, as they tried to find him somewhere to stay following a fracas in Burnley.

The officers eventually had to pepper-spray McKintosh as they entered the van after seeing he had put his belt around his neck.

McKintosh, 28, of Parklands View, Burnley, pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour.

He was jailed for six weeks and ordered to pay £128 victim surcharge on release.

Full story here.

Blackburn dad-of-6's £18,000 benefits fiddle

Michael Gill, 47, was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £115 victim surcharge and £85 costs, after magistrates were told he failed to notify the authorities when his partner started working longer hours.

Blackburn magistrates heard that over 20 months Michael Gill of Beaumaris Avenue, Blackburn, was overpaid by nearly £18,000 after he made a joint claim for employment support allowance with his partner in 2012.

At the time she was working just seven hours a weeks and the claim was legitimate.

Full story here

Drink-driver facing '£800-a-month' taxi bills to get around

A drink driver who ran into the back of another car as he were travelling on the M65 near Barrowford, proved costly for Barnoldswick man, Brendan Blackett, who faced taxi bills of £800 a month if he is to keep his job.

Blackett, 43, of Long Ing Lane, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol and was banned for 13 months and fined £375 with £85 costs and £37 victim surcharge after admitting drinking earlier in the evening while he was watching football in Burnley.

Full story here

'Barefoot and hysterical' Blackburn woman arrested after 'a couple of drinks'

Louise O'Brien told Blackburn magistrates she was trying to protect her family after she became enraged at police when they would not listen to her.

Described as "barefoot and hysterical", O'Brien, 20 was arrested outside her Sussex Drive home, and pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly.

She was made subject to a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £85 costs and £22 victim surcharge.

For the full details, click here

Homeless man started ranting and raving when mum wouldn't let him in

A homeless man who said the police had kidnapped him and raped his kids while "ranting and raving" outside his mum's house was fined £80 and ordered to pay £34 victim surcharge.

Blackburn magistrates heard Keiron McKillop, who was allowed to sleep in his mum's shed, had kicked off when she wouldn't let him into her house.

Attending officers formed the opinion he was under the influence of drugs of some kind after he made reference to having a knife and that he would kill himself.

Police were called to an address in Burnley at 6.40 pm on Saturday and found McKillop banging and kicking on his mother's door.

For further details on this story, click here

Blackburn woman punched van and keyed Mercedes in 'revenge'

A 43-year-old woman from Blackburn was left out of pocket after being ordered to pay £250 compensation to Emma Taylor and £150 to Nazzaqat Ali for pleading guilty to damaging a van and a car.

Debbie Grant accosted Mr Ali as he left his shop and claimed customers had damaged her windows.

Her solicitor said: “He walked away and got in his van but she followed, still shouting, and punched the door.

“She then started shouting at a man called Chris who worked in the shop and threatened to damage every car parked outside the shop.”

For the rest of the story, follow this link

Man arrested for possessing pills after friend died from drug overdose

A man who called the police after finding his friend dead following a house party, was arrested when officers found diazepam tablets in his possession.

Magistrates in Blackburn heard that Michael Canning, of Ivy Street, Burnley, called the police after his friend died as a result of a drug overdose.

The court was told the police had investigated the situation thoroughly and there was no suspicion that Canning had given his friend the drugs.

Canning, 51, pleaded guilty to possession of diazepam and abstracting electricity between 2016 and 2020.

He was fined £40 with £85 costs and £32 victim surcharge.

Read the full story here

Wife rang husband's 'girlfriend' to tell her he was convicted sex offender

Azeem Ali Amin, who had been seeing a girl with a child behind his wife's back, failed to tell her he was a convicted sex offender.

Amin's girlfriend told police they had met in a takeaway and after they had been seeing each other for a few weeks he told her he was married.

In the six months they were together he had stayed at her address on about 10 occasions and her four-year-old daughter had been there.

Amin, 34, of Cardinal Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with requirements of the sex offender's register by failing to notify an address he had spent more than seven days at.

To find out his sentence, click here

Drink-driver hit chevron sign and ended up on top of roundabout

It was a lengthy driving ban and a hefty fine for Kevin Malone, who crashed into a chevron sign and ended up on top of a roundabout while almost three times the drink drive limit.

Blackburn magistrates heard Malone, 58, ran from his car but was detained a short distance away.

He pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol and was fined £769 with £85 costs and £77 victim surcharge and banned from driving for 24 months.

Full story available here

And the final story from Blackburn magistrates' this week is the following:

Sex offender breached order by putting Snapchat on his phone

Lloyd David Ward, a convicted sex offender breached an order by installing Snapchat on his mobile phone.

Blackburn magistrates heard the application automatically deleted messages, a specific prohibition under the sexual harm prevention order imposed on the 26-year-old.

Ward, of Calder Avenue, Billington, pleaded guilty to breach of the order.

He was committed on bail to Burnley Crown Court to be sentenced after the court was told the offence put Lloyd in breach of a suspended prison sentence imposed by the Crown Court.

For more details click here