Lynn’s courtroom heard cases of pensioners with brain bleeds, domestic abusers and bus station fights last week.
Magistrates warned multiple defendants they were close to being jailed – but most got away with a community order instead.
Do you think some of these defendants’ sentences were too lenient? Find out who was in court last week below…
Men left pensioner with brain bleed after vicious pub attack
Two men who punched and kicked a pensioner, leaving him with a bleed on the brain, are at risk of being sent to prison.
Fakenham duo Drew Sayer, 22, of Arthur Road, and Finley Riseborough, 23, of Barons Close, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
The pair both admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent following an incident at The Limes pub, a JD Wetherspoon branch in Fakenham, on December 6 last year.
Sayer pushed the man backwards and punched him, while Riseborough became involved and also punched the victim, who fell to the ground and became unconscious.
The case was adjourned until October 29. Riseborough and Sayer will learn their fate on that date at Norwich Magistrates’ Court.
Father of three disqualified after driving without a licence
A father of three who did not realise his driving licence had been revoked was caught behind the wheel.
John Connors, 35, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where he admitted driving without a licence.
Police pulled Connors over on Smeeth Road in Marshland St James on July 10 for an unrelated matter. They soon discovered that Connors was driving after his licence was revoked.
Three more points were added to Connor’s licence, meaning he now has more than 12 points. He has therefore been disqualified from driving for six months.
Drink-driving pensioner who crashed into ditch claimed he had just one beer
It turned out that Graham Summerton, 69, of Wretton Road in Stoke Ferry, had been drink-driving. He had 63mcg of alcohol in his system, when the drink-drive limit is 35mcg.
He appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where he admitted the offence – which took place on May 12.
The court heard that Summerton was driving back from Arbuckles restaurant in Downham when he crashed into a ditch on the road he lives on.
Summerton was disqualified from driving for 17 months and fined £230.
Business owner, 21, stole energy drinks and cheese strings from bargain store
Dovydas Lebedevas, of Lady Jane Grey Road in North Lynn, admitted “there was no excuse” for a series of petty thefts he committed last month.
The court heard that Lebedevas first went into Heron Foods in the Vancouver Quarter on July 20 and took a can of Red Bull, put it in his pocket, and left the store without paying.
The next day, he returned to the bargain store and stole a packet of cheese strings.
On July 28, he went into B&M, picked up a can of Monster Energy drink, and made no effort to pay.
Lebedevas was fined £200, and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80 and court costs of £85.
Mathematician who repeatedly breached driving ban avoids jail
A mathematician who breached his driving disqualification and crashed into a stationary trailer has avoided prison.
Hugo Vieira, 46, of Gwyn Crescent in Fakenham, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where he was sentenced for three offences.
Vieira crashed his Vauxhall Corsa into the back of a farm trailer, and then fled the scene. Vieira had been disqualified in November 2023 for drink-driving.
He breached that disqualification in April last year, when he was handed a suspended sentence. He has therefore breached that.
Vieira was handed an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
Man has ‘so much’ regret after bus station fight
Mark Baylis, 56, of Glebe Road in Downham, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where he admitted using threatening words to cause fear, alarm or distress.
The court heard that Baylis was at Lynn’s bus station on February 4, where he became involved in an altercation with another man.
However, the fight was not started by Baylis, as the other man was the first to push into him, the court was told. Baylis then punched the victim to the floor and kicked him.
Baylis was fined £120 and ordered to pay a £48 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.
Drink-driver who crashed into car and fled the scene could be jailed
Matthew Williams, 34, of Guanock Terrace in Lynn, appeared at the town’s magistrates’ court on Thursday, where he admitted five offences.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a police officer, as well as drink-driving, failing to report a collision, and obstructing police.
The police were contacted by a member of the public on March 29, who said they had seen a Citroen C2 crash into a Fiat on Broom Close in Lynn.
Police eventually located Williams, who had left the scene, and “struggled” to arrest him. During the arrest, Williams had the finger of one officer in his mouth and attempted to bite it.
The case was adjourned for an all-options pre-sentence report, and Williams will return to court on October 16.
36-year-old avoids jail after crashing into ditch and refusing breath test
James White, 36, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after refusing to carry out a breath test.
Police saw White’s vehicle crash into the ditch, but did not see a driver. Officers later located him and believed he was drunk due to him being unsteady on his feet and slurring his speech.
He was asked multiple times to carry out a breath test, but refused, swearing at police on one occasion.
White, who had no previous convictions, was handed a 12-month community order which requires him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
30-year-old avoids jail after headbutting, punching and pushing ex-partner
Luke Bunton, of Tennyson Avenue in Lynn, appeared at the town’s magistrates’ court on Thursday, where he was sentenced for three assaults, which took place between August 10 and December 29 last year.
Bunton grabbed the woman, who he was in a relationship with at the time, by the shoulders and headbutted her in the face. The victim then pushed him away.
He also grabbed her and punched her to the floor, causing her to graze her knees and leaving her screaming for help. The victim came into contact with Bunton again. He grabbed her by the shoulders.
Bunton was handed a 24-month community order, which will require him to complete five rehabilitation activity requirement days and 200 hours of unpaid work.
Dangerous driver caught in Audi while disqualified
A 28-year-old who was spotted driving while disqualified claimed he did not know he was banned.
Alex Gibb appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where he admitted driving while disqualified as well as having no insurance.
At 2.20pm on May 2, Gibb was pulled over by police on Reid Way in North Lynn. He was driving an Audi A4 at the time, and admitted to officers at the scene that he had no insurance to drive the car.
Gibb, who is unemployed, was handed 200 hours of unpaid work to complete as part of a 12-month community order.
Brief appearance in pub led to arrest of 20-year-old driving with two drugs in his system
Ashley Briggs, of Church Close in Grimston, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where he admitted drug-driving after using both cannabis and cocaine.
After receiving intel that Briggs was leaving the Orb and Sceptre pub in South Wootton, police decided to follow the Volkswagen Polo that he was driving.
Further tests revealed that 551mcg of benzoylecgonine, a cocaine breakdown, was in his system. The legal limit to drive is 50mcg. Briggs also had 2.1mcg of cannabis in his system. The legal limit to drive is 2mcg.
Briggs was disqualified from driving for 17 months and fined £200.
