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Issue. 10 - February 2018
Inside this issue: Local News - Health & Wellbeing - sports
Fine for disabled
badge misuse
A Stockton Heath woman will have to pay up more than £600 after using her late husband’s disabled parking badge to avoid paying parking charges. Mary Welsby, of Roman Road, appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court on 31st January on three charges of failing to return a blue badge to Warrington Borough Council when her husband, the registered owner, died in October 2015. Welsby then used the badge to park in disabled bays on the town car parks and did not pay the parking charge. Welsby, aged 67, pleaded guilty to all three offences by post and the magistrates fined her £322 and a victim surcharge of £32 was ordered. £300 was also awarded for costs. In 2016 Wa r r i n g t o n Borough C o u n c i l announced a ‘Blue Badge
Amnesty’ to give residents the opportunity to hand in any badges that they weren’t entitled to use. Cllr Russ Bowden, executive board member for corporate services, said: “It is for precisely this reason that we held an amnesty for disabled badges. We wanted to make sure that people had the chance to come clean. “It is unacceptable that some people continue to misuse the blue badge scheme as there are people who have a genuine need to use these designated parking spaces. It is a crime to use a badge that does not belong to you or to alter the information printed on the badge and people using them fraudulently will be prosecuted.” For more details about blue badges email bluebadge@warrington. gov.uk Call 01925 443322 Go to https://www.warrington.gov.uk/ info/201123/parking/2152/blue_ badge
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Merseyside Police welcome
sentencing of six men in
relation to ATM burglary offences
Merseyside Police welcomed the sentencing of six men to a total of over 20 years imprisonment in relation to a series of ATM burglary offences across Merseyside and Cheshire. Between 7th January and 11th July 2017 there were a number of offences (full details below) in the Liverpool, Wirral and Cheshire areas. In each of the offences the offenders have, in the early hours of the morning, targeted commercial premises such as post offices, convenience stores and service stations that contain an ATM. The gang arrived at the scenes in high powered vehicles, often Audi or Mercedes cars on cloned number plates, forced entry to the premises and attacked the ATM in order to steal the cash contained inside. The gang also rented an industrial premises in Birkenhead where they stored equipment, stolen cars and weapons. In total the gang pleaded to seven offences and were sentenced today at Liverpool Crown Court. David O'Brien, 35, of Fincham Close, Huyton was sentenced to five years and five months for conspiracy to commit burglary. Stephen Roberts, 38, of Wilson Road,
Prescot was sentenced to five years and five months for conspiracy to commit burglary. Les McStein, 34, of Oxford Road, Egremont, was sentenced to six years for conspiracy to commit burglary. Craig Dobbins, 36, of Airdale Close, Beechwood was sentenced three years and six months for conspiracy to commit burglary. Craig Brennan, 33, of Farmfield Drive, Beechwood, Wirral, was sentenced to 10 months for attempted burglary of a commercial premises. John Huntington, 21, of Ganneys Meadow Road, Woodchurch, Wirral, was given a two year suspended sentence and 175 hours community order for conspiracy to commit burglary Detective Inspector Mike Dalton said: “I am delighted that we have managed to put this gang behind bars for a number of serious offences. “These are not victimless crimes. These individuals have, when confronted by police officers or members of the public, used violence to ensure they were not detained. “They have pre-armed themselves with bricks and when confronted by police officers thrown them at police
vehicles to facilitate their escape. “On one occasion they assaulted a member of the public who was simply passing by. The victim received ten
stitches to a laceration to his hand caused by a knife and also a broken nose. “Thankfully they are now behind bars where they belong.”