Here's a round-up of recent cases heard at Colchester Magistrates' Court.

  • A MAN was ordered to pay £370 and banned from driving for 24 months after refusing to take an alcohol breathalyser test and damaging a breathalyser device.

Crispin Stephens, 39, of Chestnut Avenue, Colchester, admitted failing to provide a specimen of breath and damaging an Intoximeter belonging to Essex Police on October 16 in Colchester.

Stephens appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on November 14 where he was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, banned from driving for 24 months and ordered to pay a £200 fine, £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service and £85 to fund victim services.

  • A MAN was ordered to pay £335 after being caught with cannabis. 

Ervin Esale, 25, from Ilford, admitted two charges of possessing the class B drug in Colchester when he appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court last Tuesday.

On May 9, he was caught with six bags of cannabis, weighing a total of 5.8g. For this offence, magistrates ordered him to pay £215 including a £100 fine, £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

On October 31, Esale was caught in Colchester with a quantity of cannabis. Magistrates ordered him to pay a £120 fine.

  • A WOMAN is due to stand trial after denying stealing clothes from Peacocks two days in a row.

Sara Last, 31, denies stealing a basket of £100.50 worth of clothes at the store in Harwich Gateway Retail Park on September 11.

She is charged with stealing after placing the basket just inside the door and getting in a nearby Mazda before the male driver left the car to take the clothes and drive away.

Last also denies an almost identical offence on September 12, whereby she is charged with leaving a basket of £170 worth of clothes by the door of the shop and a male driver got out of a Mazda to lift the basket over sensors.

Last appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court last Tuesday where she was remanded on unconditional bail until the trial on February 10 back at the court.

  • A MAN has been disqualified from driving and ordered to pay £525 after being caught driving while two times over the legal alcohol limit.

Daniel Starling, 32, from Worrin Road, Great Dunmow, admitted driving a Mercedes in Ipswich Road, Colchester, on October 31 while he had 78 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

The legal limit is 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

Colchester magistrates banned Starling from driving for 36 months and ordered him to pay a £400 fine, £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service and a £40 victim surcharge.

  • A MAN has been given an electronic tag and ordered to pay £170 for interfering with a police car.

Thomas Williams, 34, of Drury Road, Colchester, admitted interfering with a BMW belonging to Essex Police in Colchester on October 31.

He appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on November 15 where he was given an electronic tag for 28 days to monitor a curfew at his address in Drury Road from 8pm and 6am daily.

Williams was also ordered to pay £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service and £85 to fund victim services.

  • A MAN is due to stand trial after denying two counts of assault on a woman in Colchester.

Benjamin Biddulph, 30, denies assaulting the woman on September 16 and October 13 by beating her.

Biddulph is due to stand trial at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on February 3 and was released on conditional bail not to contact the alleged victim until then.

  • A MAN was ordered to pay £195 after stealing food and cider worth £10.42 from a Co-op in Colchester.

Matthew Herridge, 45, of Mersea Road, Colchester, admitted stealing the items on October 26 when he appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on November 14.

He was ordered to pay an £80 fine, £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service and £30 to fund victim services.

  • A MAN was ordered to pay £305 after being caught with 7g of cannabis and failing to turn up for a court hearing.

Jorel Ryan, 25, of Finchingfield Way, Colchester, admitted possession of the class B drug in Colchester on September 27.

He also admitted failing to appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on October 26 after he was released on bail.

At Colchester Magistrates’ Court on November 14, Ryan was ordered to pay an £80 fine for the possession of cannabis, a £50 fine for failing to answer bail, £145 to the Crown Prosecution Service and a £30 victim surcharge.