Court Watch

Victim had glass left in his eye

A SHARD of glass went into 17-year-old Timothy Carter's eye when he was the victim of a road rage attack at an Ely garage.

And on Thursday the three men responsible for damaging the car he was travelling in - Gavin Fuller, Ashley Davis and Andrew Benton - were warned that they could be sent to jail.

The three defendants had deliberately used their vehicles to box in the car that Timothy Carter was sitting in, they smashed windows and broke a door handle, and Fuller punched the teenager in the face.

A fragment of broken glass went into the youngster's eye, and he was rushed to hospital. He still has problems with his vision, Ely magistrates were told on Thursday.

Fuller, 18, of Merlin Drive, Ely, admitted assaulting causing actual bodily harm, careless driving and causing criminal damage to the Ford Fiesta belonging to Stuart Wright.

Twenty-one-year-old Davis, of Haddenham Road, Wilburton, and Benton, 19, of Croft Park Road, Littleport, admitted damaging the car.

Prosecuting, Yetunde Fawehinmi said there had been a previous disagreement between Fuller and Timothy Carter, Fuller was going out with Mr Carter's ex-girlfriend.

On January 16, Timothy Carter was a front seat passenger in Stuart Wright's car when they went to the BP garage on the A142. Mr Wright bought some fuel, and Mr Carter went to the cash machine.

When Mr Wright went to drive off the forecourt, Fuller drove in front of him, blocking his exit. He tried to reverse, but was blocked in by another car.

Fuller smashed a window of the Fiesta, grabbed Timothy Carter's jumper, and hit him in the face.

"There was glass everywhere, Timothy Carter got a shard of glass in his eye that blurred his vision," she said. His eye was still not properly healed.

Davis told police that Fuller had driven recklessly towards Mr Wright's car, and there was almost a collision. He had broken a door handle on the car. Benton said he had leapt on the bonnet of the Fiesta, kicking and smashing the windscreen.

Representing Fuller, John Aspinall said: "This was a nasty incident, my client recognises that, and his full of remorse for what happened, there were mitigating circumstances."

Sentencing was adjourned until March 21 for reports to be prepared.

Carpet row leads to drunken rampage in Ely Market Place

AFTER rowing with his wife over the fitting of a new carpet, Romualdas Povilaitis downed a bottle of vodka and then caused a rumpus on Ely Market Place.

He was swaying from side to side and was aggressive when police were called to the scene, and used foul language, Ely magistrates were told on Thursday.

The 50-year-old Lithuanian ignored warnings about his behaviour - and was followed by police as he walked into the Superdrug store.

"He continued his aggressive behaviour there," said Yetunde Fawehinmi, prosecuting. "He continued to shout and swear. There were young children and other members of the public present, who appeared to be concerned abut his behaviour and language."

Povilaitis was marched out of the shop by police and taken to Parkside Police Station in Cambridge. He was unable to stand, so was taken to the cells for a while.

Povilaitis, of Norfolk Road, Ely, admitted using disorderly behaviour on February 7 and was fined £110 with £75 costs.

"He apologises not only to the court but to the civilians who witnessed his behaviour," said James Yardy, mitigating. "He apologises for the disturbance and the bad language."

Povilaitis had been laying a carpet at his new home before the incident, but his wife was not happy with it, and they had argued.

"He went out and bought a bottle of vodka and drank the majority of it," said Mr Yardy. "His recollection of events is hazy.

"He accepts he has a problem with alcohol. It is the culture to take alcohol heavily in Lithuania, and he has adopted that in this country, but is mending his ways."

Off-duty police officer catches banned driver collecting rabbit

PESTER power won the day when banned driver David Leach agreed to buy his nephew a pet rabbit - so he drove to Fordham Garden Centre to collect the £25 bunny.

But an off-duty police officer was so concerned to see a man with three school-aged youngsters in his car on a school day and in school hours, that she reported the matter.

And Leach - who was driving a Renault 19 with a distinctive tail fin - was tracked down to his home in Littleport, where he admitted he was a banned driver.

That offence happened on January 23, and just two days later he was jailed for eight months by Cambridge Crown Court, for an offence of deception.

So Leach, 38, of Fishers Bank, Littleport, was in custody when he appeared before Ely magistrates on Thursday, and admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance on January 23.

"His 12-year-old nephew had been living with him, and pestered him to buy a pet rabbit," said Michael Judkins, mitigating. "My client decided to go along with it, he may have been mindful that two days later he would be appearing before the crown court."

Leach, who had been given a job as manager of the Plough and Harrow at Littleport, was due to be released in three months' time.

After hearing that Leach owed the court around £1,600 in outstanding fines, the magistrates gave him a two-month concurrent sentence for the motoring offences, and another 45-day consecutive sentence in lieu of the fines.

He was banned from driving for a year.

Man guilty of multiple offences

LITTLEPORT man Steven Kilpatrick has been ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work, after being convicted of a string of offences.

Last month, 38-year-old Kilpatrick was found guilty of assaulting a police officer, causing criminal damage to a computer, drink-driving, and driving without insurance or an MoT.

All the offences happened on July 17 or early on July 18 last year, prosecutor Yetunde Fawehinmi told Ely magistrates on Thursday.

He assaulted PC Darren Goodwin, and damaged a £700 laptop computer belonging to Paul Shepheard. He drove when over the alcohol limit, giving a breath test reading of 67 mcgs of alcohol in 100 mls of breath, when the legal limit is 35 mcgs.

Micaila Williams, representing Kilpatrick, said he had pleaded not guilty to all offences, and did not accept his guilt.

Kilpatrick, of Hempfield Place, Littleport, was banned from driving for three years and ordered to pay £300 compensation and £300 costs.

Banned driver was collecting daughter

BANNED driver Simon Gregory ignored his disqualification and drove off on a mission of mercy to collect his teenage daughter.

"He felt his daughter was more important than any other consideration," solicitor John Aspinall explained to Ely magistrates on Thursday.

"He received a telephone call saying his daughter had argued with her mother and wanted to go home. He borrowed a car from a previous employer and was driving to Saxon Street when he was stopped by police."

Gregory, 38, of Barkhams Lane, Littleport, admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance on January 31. He also admitted driving without insurance or an MoT on July 23 and September 13, and failing to produce his driving licence to police on September 13.

The magistrates were told that because Gregory had been banned three times in the last three years, he was due for a two-year ban this time. Magistrates adjourned sentencing until March 16.

Charge thrown out

MAGISTRATES threw out a burglary charge facing Soham man Stephan Mann this week, after being told that paperwork had not been prepared.

Mann, 21, was due to be committed to Cambridge Crown Court to face trial - but the Crown Prosecution Service had failed to get the committal papers ready.

Prosecutor Yetunde Fawehinmi asked Ely magistrates to adjourn the case, but presiding magistrate Lt Col Johnny Kaye refused her application.

"We are unimpressed that this matter is not ready today," he told Mann. "We discharge the matter, but be aware that fresh proceedings could take place in the future."

Mann, who lives in a caravan behind ABC Conveyor Belts, had denied committing a burglary in Brook Street at Soham on January 2, stealing a set of car keys.

Man admits theft

LITTLE Downham man Robert Mace has denied possessing a can of pepper spray at the Spar shop in Ely on January 28.

But Mace, 31, of Lawn Lane, has admitted assaulting customer Laurence Carlo Tisi in the shop and using disorderly behaviour on the same date.

He has also admitted stealing two cans of lager from One Stop in Ely on January 8.

Ely magistrates are due to fix the date of his trial at a hearing on March 16.

Toothache blamed

A TOOTH abscess had prevented Jamie Seymour from carrying out his unpaid community work a week before Christmas, he explained to magistrates this week.

Seymour, 21, of High Barns, Ely, admitted breaching the work order he was given back in July last year for an offence of affray.

City magistrates were told Seymour had 122 hours of work outstanding, and they added another 14 hours to the order.

Assault trial date

AN Ely woman who had denied assaulting two people in the city on Christmas Day is to face trial on June 1.

Sarah Leggo, 41, of West End, is alleged to have assaulted Fiona Leggo and a child. She is on conditional bail until the date of her trial.

MoT fine for driver

SHAUN Bond, 20, was fined £50 by Ely magistrates on Thursday, when he admitted failing to produce an MoT certificate to the police on September 4 last year. Bond, of Lynn Road, Chettisham, was also ordered to pay £35 costs.