Special report delays library exposure case THE sentencing of a man who exposed himself to a member of staff at Littleport Library has been adjourned for a further two weeks, for a second report to be prepared. At an earlier hearing, 37-year-old David Hew

Special report delays library exposure case

THE sentencing of a man who exposed himself to a member of staff at Littleport Library has been adjourned for a further two weeks, for a second report to be prepared.

At an earlier hearing, 37-year-old David Hewitt, of Ryston Road, Denver, admitted three offences of indecent exposure, and asked for 20 further offences to be taken into consideration.

The probation service had prepared magistrates on Thursday, but it was agreed that a more specialist report was needed.

Back in December, the court heard how Hewitt had spoken to a member of library staff, and during the course of the conversation she noticed he was masturbating and exposing himself to her.

The member of staff notified a colleague, and the police were called. Hewitt left the library, but returned to apologise

Hewitt felt ashamed and told the police about previous offences because he wanted to make a clean break, said John Aspinall, mitigating. Some of the offences went back to 2004. "This was a cry for help as much as anything else," he added.

Hewitt is banned from Littleport as a condition of his bail.

Lorry driver fined after black cloud of tarmac

A STREAM of tarmac leaking from the back of a lorry hit a police car at Sutton, making the driver flinch, magistrates heard this week.

The tarmac looked like "a black cloud" as it poured from the lorry as it drove along the B1381, and also hit a new car driven by Cheryl Hancock.

At Ely courthouse on Thursday, lorry driver Alan Gurney admitted driving a lorry with an insecure load on July 6 last year. He was fined £190 with £35 costs.

His employers, H F Bull and Son Ltd of Eynesbury in St Neots, also admitted the offence, and were given an absolute discharge.

Prosecuting, Flynn Jennings said Gurney was driving from Earith towards Sutton when a considerable amount of tarmac escaped from the back of the Daf tipper truck.

The police officer saw a near continuous stream of tarmac cover both lanes of the road, and the noise and force of the tarmac hitting his vehicle made him flinch and look away.

Gurney was an experienced driver, but had no idea there was a problem until he saw tarmac leaking from the lorry when he reached Sutton roundabout, said Ian Rothera, defending. He found the tailgate was open, and secured it.

Driver fell asleep at the wheel

A DRIVER who fell asleep at the wheel and collided head-on with a car in Ely had worked a double shift before the accident.

And on Thursday, city magistrates issued a warning about drivers getting behind the wheel of a car after working extended hours.

"Falling asleep at the wheel could have resulted in a fatality," presiding magistrate Jane Lewin-Smith told Soham man Marcin Oswiecinski.

"You need to be aware that working long hours will affect your driving. There was serious risk to other road users."

Oswiecinski, 24, of St Andrews House, St Andrew's Park, admitted driving without due care and attention at the Ely railway bridge on June 24 last year.

The A142 was busy with school traffic at 7.45am when Oswiecinski fell asleep as he drove a Volkswagen Polo, said Yetunde Fawehinmi.

Samantha Warner was driving an Vauxhall Astra in the opposite direction, and saw Oswiencinski drive towards her in the middle of the road.

"She tried to take avoiding action by moving her car to the nearside and braked, she scraped her car's nearside wheels on the kerb. She could not move over any further, and the Volkswagen Polo hit her head-on."

Both cars were damaged, and Ms Warner suffered whiplash injury.

Speaking through a Polish interpreter, Oswiecinski told the court that he had been in the UK only one month when he lost his documents at work, and had been driving that morning because he needed to close his bank account.

"It was a bad time in my life, so many things went wrong," he said.

He had been working overtime, working a day shift followed by a night shift, finishing around 6am. He sends money back to his home country to support his family.

Oswiecinski was fined £120 with £75 costs, and six points were endorsed on his driving record.

Shoplifter receives community order

SHOPLIFTER Paul Green has been ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid community work, and pay almost £100 in compensation.

Green, 29, of Broad Street, Ely, stole £50 worth of make-up from Lloyds Pharmacy in Soham on September 21; £30 worth of toiletries and alcohol from the Co-op in Littleport on September 23; two cans of lager and an Indian meal worth £6.29 from One Stop in Ely on November 22, and £2.98 worth of lager from the Spar shop in Ely on November 23.

Solicitor Jacqui Baldwin told Ely magistrates on Thursday that Green was a heroin addict, but was trying to change his lifestyle and look for help.

"Sometimes it takes you to hit rock bottom before you can come up again," she added.

Ely magistrates also ordered Green to pay £55 costs.

No insurance fine

DRIVING without insurance landed disabled Ely woman Tracey Hall with a £200 fine this week.

Hall, 43, of Windmill Close, also admitted failing to produce her driving licence to the police on March 14.

Six points were endorsed on her driving licence and she was ordered to pay £35 costs.

Mitigating, Jacqui Baldwin said Hall suffers from diabetes, Crohn's disease and osteoporosis. She has a seven-year-old son, and lives on benefits.

She committed the offence on March 14 last year, by driving a car she had just bought. Her insurance had not been transferred, and she only kept the vehicle for a short while.

Men denied affray

ELY men Trevor Bennett, Robert Bennett and James Smith, who have denied committing public order offences in the city on July 30, have elected to be tried at Cambridge Crown Court.

Trevor Bennett, 30, of Columbine Road, has denied assaulting Owen Edge; Robert Bennett, 31, of Ramsey Road, has denied causing affray and assaulting Owen Edge, and James Smith, 23, of Dunstan Street, has denied affray.

Their case was adjourned for six weeks by Ely magistrates on Thursday.

Man admits failure

TWENTY-year-old Ely man Jamie Webb has denied resisting a police officer in the city on September 15, and is due to face trial on February 23.

When he appeared before Ely magistrates on Thursday, Webb, of New Barns Avenue, did admit he had failed to answer court bail on December 8 and was given a one-year conditional discharge.

Youth carried tool

TEENAGER Mark Gillett has denied going equipped for burglary in Ely, and will face trial before city magistrates on May 4.

Gillett, 18, of High Barns, is alleged to have committed the offence by being in possession of a red and grey handled screwdriver on October 10.

The teenager admitted he had not answered court bail on November 11, and was fined £25.

Teen's triple charge

DANGEROUS driving, assault and criminal damage charges facing Ely teenager Gavin Fuller were adjourned by city magistrates on Thursday.

Fuller, 18, of Merlin Drive, is alleged to have driven a Peugeot car dangerously along the A142 at Ely on January 16.

It is further alleged he assaulted Timothy Carter, causing actual bodily harm, and damaged a white Ford Fiesta belonging to Stuart Wright on the same date.

Fuller was given conditional bail until February 16.

Assault denied

ELY woman Sarah Leggo has denied assaulting two people in the city on Christmas Day.

Leggo, 41, of West End, is alleged to have assaulted Fiona Leggo and a child.

The date of her trial will be set by Ely magistrates on February 16, and on Thursday she was given conditional bail until that date.

Points for speeder

SPEEDER Toby Stroud was fined £60 after admitting he drove at 76mph along the A1101 at Littleport, where there is a 60 mph speed limit in place.

Stroud, 27, of RAF Lakenheath, also had three points endorsed on his driving record by Ely magistrates on Thursday.