OUR regular round-up of people who have appeared in Blackburn and Burnley courts recently.

Uninsured driver given six points

A MAN has had his licence endorsed with six penalty points after admitting to driving without insurance.
Magistrates were told how 35-year-old Junaid Khan committed the offence in an Audi in Churchill Way, Burnley, on July 17.
An allegation that Khan, of Railway Street, Nelson, jumped a red light in Churchill Way was withdrawn by the prosecution.
Burnley magistrates fined Khan £120, ordered him to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £30 surcharge to fund victim services.
Khan must pay the costs and charges, which total 2£35, at a rate of £50 per month.
A spokesman for the court said: “The defendant’s guilty plea taken into account when imposing sentence.”

Wheelie bin found to be full of lead

POLICE alerted to a possible lead thief found a 24-year-old man pushing a wheelie bin full of the roofing material.
Blackburn magistrates heard the lead had been stripped off the roof of a bay window by Jake Scott Whalley, who claimed he thought the house was unoccupied.
Whalley, of Sumner Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to theft of lead flashing belonging to Farrukh Khan. 
He was given a conditional discharge for the offence but jailed for eight weeks because it put him in breach of a suspended sentence imposed for assault and criminal damage.
Jonathan Taylor, defending, said his client was being pestered to pay off a debt and had been told by a friend that the house on St Francis Road was derelict.
“He genuinely believed the house was not lived in but accepts if the police hadn’t arrived he would have weighed the lead in to pay of his debt,” said Mr Taylor.

‘Vulnerable’ man stole to pay off loan shark debts

A 27-YEAR-OLD man who was described in court as “vulnerable” stole to raise money to pay off a loan shark who had targeted his partner.
Blackburn magistrates heard Martin Anthony Baines and his girlfriend “suffered in silence” as he demanded £1,000 repayment on the £200 loan.
And the court was told Baines, who could not read or write, had been unaware of the “extortionate” rate of interest he was being charged.
Baines, of Oak Street, Colne, pleaded guilty to stealing alcohol worth £125 from Sainsbury’s on November 20 and alcohol worth £120 from the same store the following day. He was ordered to pay £125 compensation.
Parveen Akhtar, prosecuting, said Baines went into the shop on the first occasion pushing a pram and put the bottles of spirits under a blanket before leaving. He repeated the actions the following day but this time was stopped as he left the store.
Baines told police he cared for his partner who suffered from chronic lung disease and their three-year-old disabled daughter and there was no food in the home.
Nick Cassidy, defending, said his client was already subject to a suspended sentence but hoped to persuade the magistrates not to deprive him of his liberty. He said his client had learning difficulties and would be described as vulnerable.
“His partner also has issues and they have a disabled child.”
said Mr Cassidy. “Some months ago his partner borrowed £200 and the man who gave them that money subsequently demanded back over £1,000. They suffered in silence and had financial issues.”
Mr Cassidy said Baines had eventually gone to the police and had heard nothing further about the loan.

10 stitches for partner after knife incident

A KNIFE was brandished during a row between a 53-year-old man and his partner after she returned home from a night out.
Blackburn magistrates heard Shirley Derbyshire needed 10 stitches to a cut on her hand following the incident.
Ian Martin, of Brownhill Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to assaulting Miss Derbyshire. He was sentenced to six weeks in prison suspended for 12 months, made subject to a community order for 12 months with a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement and ordered to pay £85 costs and £115 victim surcharge.
Parveen Akhtar, prosecuting, said the aggrieved said her partner’s mood swings had got worse recently and things came to a head on Sunday. When she came home from a night out he was standing there in his dressing gown.
She said she was going to bed because she was in work in the morning but he followed her to the bathroom and started videoing her on his phone.
“She pushed him out but when she came out he was standing there with blood smeared over his face,” said Miss Akhtar. “She asked what he had done and he said she had done it and he was going to get her done for assault. At that point she called the police. She was scared because his behaviour was erratic and his eyes were wild, and she called the police.
While she was calling the police Martin grabbed a knife and during the tussle that followed she kept hold of the blade until she heard the police knock on the door.
“It is fair to say she has sustained the injury when she has grabbed the knife,” said Miss Akhtar. “There was no intention on his part to cause the injury but there was clearly the fear of harm.”
Gareth Price, defending, said his client accepted taking the knife from a block in the kitchen.
“He does not accept that he had any intention of causing any injury to anyone,” said Mr Price. “There was a tussle over the knife during which he also suffered to his hand. The knife was returned to the block and was not being brandished when the police arrived.”

Man stole shavers from supermarket

A MAN who went into a supermarket early in the morning was seen to de-tag a rucksack and then put two electric shavers in it before leaving the shop.
Blackburn magistrates heard Sean Patrick Varley, 40, was detained outside and taken back into the shop where he was eventually arrested.
Varley, of Nelson Street, Accrington, pleaded guilty to theft from Asda. He was given a conditional discharge for 12 months with £85 costs and £20 victim surcharge.
Gareth Price, defending, said his client had been out of trouble for over three years.
“He can offer no explanation for why he has blotted his copybook.” said Mr Price.