Latest results from magistrates' court

A man who has a record of thefts has escaped an immediate prison term – so he can focus on drug rehabilitation.

Peter Anderson, 39, of Princess Louise Road, Blyth, pleaded guilty to receiving stolen goods – a lawn mower worth £120 – last year.

He also admitted that he breached a court order – put in place by magistrates in April 2017 for previous theft and attempted theft offences – by not attending two days of unpaid work in September.

At the end of last month, Anderson was given an eight-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months, to run concurrently with a suspended jail term that is already in place.

Magistrates said that the reason for custody was that his offending was so serious, because he was unwilling to comply with community orders and his record of thefts, but they suspended it to facilitate his ongoing drug rehabilitation.

He must also pay £115 in court costs.

○ A Newbiggin-by-the-Sea man has been given a suspended prison sentence for trespassing.

James Lee Groves, 43, of North Seaton Road, pleaded guilty to entering a property in Ashington with intent to do damage to the building or anything inside.

He was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

Groves must pay £950 in compensation and was given a restraining order.

He must also participate in a Building Better Relationships programme and a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

○ A Morpeth drink-driver has been banned from the wheel for two years after being caught more than three times over the legal limit.

Brian George Dixon, 34, of Geranium Drive, Northgate, was caught in his Ford Focus on February 2 in Northgate.

He gave a reading of 111 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 mililitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.

As well as his 24-month driving ban, Dixon, who admitted the offence, was given a 28-day curfew with electronic monitoring.

○ An Ashington man has been given a restraining order.

Jamie Dodds, 27, of Sycamore Street, pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive or insulting words/behaviour on February 21.

For the offence, magistrates also ordered him to pay £200, including a £120 fine.

○ A woman has been fined £120 for stealing multiple items from Asda in Blyth.

Michelle Eastman, 27, of Chestnut Street, Ashington, pinched two boxes of perfume, a bottle of gin and a number of other items, to the value of £107.

Eastman did not show up at court, so the offence was proved in her absence.

She will pay a total of £235, including the fine.