A drug-dealing dad-of-three, who snorted so much cocaine he was left with a damaged nose was jailed for 30 months.

Mark Tummon, 32, of Kingsdale Road, Mossley Hill , was caught with up to £700 of the Class A drug in St Helens.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how he locked his car to try and stop police searching the vehicle and then assaulted an officer.

Kim Egerton, prosecuting, said police spotted two people acting suspiciously in Tummon’s Nissan Juke in Chandlers Way on January 22 last year.

One of the passengers attempted to hide their face when officers drove past at around 6.15pm and they approached the car.

They could smell cannabis and decided to search the vehicle, but Tummon came out of a nearby house and refused to let them in.

Ms Egerton said he locked its doors with the remote on his car keys and repeatedly refused to open it.

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He pushed a policeman away and fled back inside the house, wedging his foot against the door so officers could not get in.

A man who lived in the house shouted for him to get out and eventually police entered the property.

Ms Egerton said they discovered a yellow tin, which looked like a New York taxi, in a bedroom.

Inside was 17g of the benzocaine and caffeine, used as an

adulterant for dugs, plus 25 plastic wraps, containing 17g of cocaine.

Tummon’s DNA was found on the cocaine wraps, said to have a combined street value between £510 and £700.

He admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine plus obstructing and assaulting a police officer.

The court heard he has two previous convictions for drug possession “some considerable time ago”.

Simon Christie, defending, said his client was responsible for three children aged two, four and nine.

The Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, Liverpool Crown Court.

He said Tummon had sought help from Alcoholic’s Anonymous for his problems with drink and drugs and tried to change his ways.

Judge Andrew Hatton said: “So bad has been your addiction that your nasal septum is now considerably damaged as a result of snorting cocaine.

“In recent months and years your life has been a miserable one based on your addiction to cocaine and alcohol.

“Against that background you were quite content to spread that misery to other people by dealing cocaine on the streets of St Helens.

“You were street dealing in order that other people could enjoy the misery that you were enduring.”

The judge said many people had provided referrals speaking highly of Tummon, but only one was aware of his drug use.

Judge Hatton said: “Help was offered to you and you rejected it. You were quite content to continue dealing in drugs and taking drugs.”

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A racist thug whose innocent teenage victim died after being hit in the head with an axe has won a cut in his sentence after turning into a charity fund raiser behind bars.

Violent gang member, Michael Barton, was just 17 when he murdered blameless black teenager, Anthony Walker, in a park.

Anthony, 18, was minding his own business in McGoldrick Park, Huyton, when he was ambushed and Barton’s cousin, Paul Taylor, 20, drove an ice axe through his skull.

Taylor and Barton, brother of then Manchester City star Joey Barton, who now plays for Burnley, were jailed for life for Anthony’s murder in July 2005.

Barton was ordered to serve at least 18 years by Mr Justice Leveson who described the murder as “racist thuggery of a type that is poisonous to any civilised society”.

But now, more than 10 years on, senior judge, Mr Justice Mitting, has recognised Barton’s “exceptional progress” in jail by slicing a year off his sentence.

Prison, he said, had brought about “a remarkable transformation in his outlook and conduct”.

Anthony Walker was murdered as he walked through a park in Huyton in July 2005

When Barton first entered the prison system, his behaviour was predicably atrocious, London’s High Court heard.

Viewed as a “high risk” prisoner, he was disciplined for fighting, thieving, making a model gun out of matchsticks and possessing illicit hooch.

Psychologists interviewed him and the judge said: “A blunt summary of their views is that he was a racist thug”.

Describing his life as part of a street gang, he said he had fed his thirst for drugs by robbery, burglary and narcotics dealing.

In a moving statement last year, Anthony’s mother, Dr Gee Walker, pleaded with the court not to cut Barton’s sentence.

“Once a thug, always a thug. Prison will not change him, it will only add fuel to the fire”, she said.

However the judge said that, by 2009, a probation officer was describing “a positive change in his attitude”.

Barton now fully accepts his guilt, is “genuinely remorseful” and “understands the devastating and irreplaceable loss” which he had caused Anthony’s family.

Anthony Walker

He had completed professional cookery and business development courses in jail and planned to set up in the catering industry on his release.

Barton enjoys “enhanced status”, mentors other prisoners and was described by his supervisor as “The best peer mentor he has ever had”.

Devoting himself to raising funds for charity, Barton had “matured considerably” and his behaviour was viewed as “excellent”.

Mr Justice Mitting said: “All of this material satisfies me that for the last eight years Barton has made good use of the facilities and opportunities available in the prison estate.

“His progress has been exceptional. It could not have been foreseen, except as an unlikely possibility, when he was sentenced.

“His transformation from a racist thug into a sensible, realistic young man satisfies the high threshold for a reduction in his minimum term”.

Barton’s minimum sentence was reduced to 17 years and he will also be given credit for four months he spent on remand prior to sentencing.

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The mum of murdered Anthony Walker today condemned a judge’s decision to cut one of his killers’ prison terms .

Violent gang member, Michael Barton, was just 17 when he murdered blameless black teenager, Anthony Walker, in a park.

Anthony, 18, was minding his own business in McGoldrick Park, Huyton , when he was ambushed and Barton’s cousin, Paul Taylor, 20, drove an ice axe through his skull.

Barton, then 17 and now 27, was handed a minimum sentence of 17 years for Anthony’s murder in July 2005.

But the Court of Appeal has now announced Barton, the half-brother of ex-Premier League footballer Joey, has won a one year reduction on his punishment.

His charity fundraising and “remarkable transformation” while behind bars had secured the deduction, the High Court in London heard.

But Gee Walker, Anthony’s mum, today said she felt “betrayed” by the ruling.

She said: “It is a big let-down. I’m very disappointed and I feel deeply betrayed.

Gee Walker on the 10th anniversary of the death of her son Anthony Walker.

“We put our trust in the judges, in the law, and then they go and do this. It’s just wrong. I will have to live with it, but what about the people who have not got a faith like me? Where does it leave them?

“This sends completely the wrong message to criminals. It tells them that if the pretend to be good they will win.

“I don’t believe what he has done in prison is anything more than pretence. I believe he is playing a game and he sees that he is winning by doing that.

“This decision to cut his minimum sentence does not make any sense and it dishonours Anthony’s memory.

“They promised me and my family that Barton would serve a minimum of eighteen years. It is not fair to make a promise like that and then come back and say they have changed their mind.

“A promise is meant to be a promise and judges should not break a solemn promise that was made to us.

“We have to live with this ordeal for the rest of our lives. It is utterly wrong.”

Barton, from Huyton, had made “exceptional progress” in jail and had changed from a “high-risk” inmate, “fighting, thieving and making a model gun out of matchsticks” to showing “maturity and excellent behaviour”, the Court of Appeal was told.

Michael Barton has made a bid to be released early

Gee, 59, decided not to attend court to hear the decision after being told “it had already been decided”.

Other family members were present, with two police officers.

Mr Justice Mitting said: “All of this material satisfies me that for the last eight years Barton has made good use of the facilities and opportunities available in the prison estate.

“His progress has been exceptional. It could not have been foreseen, except as an unlikely possibility, when he was sentenced.

“His transformation from a racist thug into a sensible, realistic young man satisfies the high threshold for a reduction in his minimum term”.

Barton now fully accepts his guilt, is “genuinely remorseful” and “understands the devastating and irreplaceable loss” which he had caused Anthony’s family, it was said.

In a moving statement last year, Gee pleaded with the court not to cut Barton’s sentence.

“Once a thug, always a thug. Prison will not change him, it will only add fuel to the fire”, she said.

Anthony Walker

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A yob smashed a pub window with an axe in a cocaine and alcohol-fuelled rage after he was barred for smoking cannabis.

John McDonough, 22, confronted Claire Sexton and Jamie Halpin outside The Waiting Room near Hunts Cross train station.

Liverpool Crown Court heard they were the managers of the Speke Road venue and Miss Sexton had known McDonough since she was a child.

Rebecca Smith, prosecuting, said: “She had in fact barred the defendant from the pub as a result of believing he was smoking cannabis at the premises. She believes as a result of that he took umbrage.”

The court heard the engaged couple were having a loud row outside the pub at around 10.30am on August 2 last year.

Miss Sexton described drunken McDonough, who lived opposite, coming towards them “screaming and shouting his head off”.

Ms Smith said: “He said ‘if you get the police here now I’m going to f***ing kill you’.”

They told him to go back to bed and McDonough went home, but returned carrying a small axe.

The pair fled inside the pub as he ran towards them shouting that he was going to kill Mr Halpin.

The Waiting Room pub on Speke Road, Hunts Cross. Picture from Google

Ms Smith said McDonough twice swung the axe at a window, causing £800 to £1,000 of damage to the listed building.

They called police and an armed unit attended the scene with search dogs.

Officers entered the defendant’s home and found him hiding behind a fridge freezer.

He claimed Mr Halpin had threatened him first and told police the axe was in a gas cupboard.

Ms Smith said the victims were fearful of McDonough returning to the pub because of his “erratic behaviour”.

McDonough, now of Dunmow Way, Woolton, admitted criminal damage, affray and possession of an offensive weapon.

He was previously locked up for three years for wounding, after stabbing a man in his stomach during a drinking session.

Ms Smith said: “The defendant came at the victim with a bottle and a knife. He was stabbed twice.

“His response when arrested was ‘if I did do it, I must have been threatened’.”

Frank Dillon, defending, said his client was “deeply sorry”.

John McDonough aged 21 leaves Liverpool Crown Court.

He said McDonough was unable to control his temper after becoming annoyed by the noise outside his home.

Mr Dillon said: “He was heavily under the influence of drink with the poisonous additive of cocaine. He had been drinking for a period in excess of 12 hours.

“The drink and drugs had worn off to the extent that he was feeling tired and irritable.”

Mr Dillon said McDonough was a builder who was struggling financially and “sofa surfing” at the time, but when sober could contribute to society.

The court heard the defendant had already served six months on remand in custody.

Judge Elizabeth Nicholls said McDonough could easily have caused serious harm to his victims.

She said: “There is no doubt they were being noisy, but you decided rather than to ignore them to go and confront them.

“You behaved in a completely irrational, erratic and terrifying way.”

However, she said he needed help to address his problems, adding: “When sober you’re a decent individual with a lot to offer.”

Judge Nicholls handed him 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, and a four-month home curfew.

She told him to attend a rehabilitation activity and Resolve programme and made a three-year restraining order, preventing him from contacting his victims or going to the pub.

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A jilted boyfriend went on trial accused of starting a fire at his ex-partner’s home which killed her dog.

Danny Rowan, 34, was arrested after a blaze at Jodie Arnold’s house in Tuebrook on November 8 last year.

Miss Arnold and her three children were not at home, but her Staffordshire bull terrier Naz died of smoke inhalation.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the couple lived “virtually opposite each other” in July Road and began a relationship last spring.

Lee Bonner, prosecuting, said: “Unfortunately the defendant turned out to be a rather jealous boyfriend, was paranoid and would accuse her of flirting with other men.”

He said the “volatility” of their relationship was shown when they scuffled during an argument and Rowan smashed her front window. He received a police caution for the offence.

The next night, on August 2, someone put lit paper through her letterbox, causing a small fire.

Mr Bonner said: “She didn’t see who did it. The defendant was arrested but no charges were brought against him.”

Arson attack on a house in Tuebrook.

He said the couple started seeing each other again, but Miss Arnold decided to end the relationship “once and for all”.

Mr Bonner said Rowan let himself into her home with his key on November 5.

He said the defendant snatched her mobile phone to see if she was talking to other men.

The court heard Miss Arnold tried to get it back but he shoved her away, causing her to fall to the floor and suffer a bruised right arm.

Mr Bonner said he sent her 49 text messages of a “jealous, controlling and abusive tone” between November 5 and 7.

He sent a text saying “sorry to bother you and your fella” at around 11pm on November 7, despite her saying she was not seeing anyone.

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Miss Arnold spent the night at her mum’s address and left the dog locked in her kitchen.

At around 7.25am the next day, a passer-by saw smoke coming from her house and called emergency services. Miss Arnold was alerted and ran home.

She suspected Rowan had started the fire after he sent a text at around 9am, saying: “Some random fella stopped me this morning saying your house smelt of burning. Is everything okay?”

Mr Bonner said firefighters found the house was locked, meaning any potential arsonist must have had a key to the home.

He said: “The only other person with a key is the defendant.”

Fire investigators believe two fires were lit, one in a lounge and one in Miss Arnold’s bedroom, at around 7.30am.

Scene of a fire in Tuebrook, believed to have been deliberate. A dog died in the fire at the home of a woman and her three children.

Police spoke to Rowan’s boss at a catering company – around three miles away – who said he had been due in work at 7.30am. CCTV footage showed he arrived late at 7.39am.

When interviewed by police, Rowan refused to say how he travelled to work that morning.

He said he was “gutted” when the couple split up because he loved her and had sent a text to Miss Arnold’s mum asking if everything was okay.

Rowan denies assault and arson reckless as to whether life was endangered.

(Proceeding)

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Key Events So Far

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Two men including one from Widnes have appeared in court charged with burglary at a North Wales bike shop.

Thomas Wright and Daniel Cosgrove stood in the dock at Wrexham Magistrates Court on Wednesday, February 3.

Cosgrove, 27, of Belvoir Road in Appleton, Widnes, pleaded not guilty to burglary and dangerous driving.

Wright, 21, from Harefield Road, Liverpool, pleaded not guilty to a burglary charge.

They were remanded in custody and the case will next be heard at Mold Crown Court on Friday, March 4.

The charges came after a vehicle chase involving three police force areas – North Wales, Cheshire and Merseyside – including the county of Flintshire.

Police were responding to reports of a burglary at a cycle shop in Holywell, during the early hours of Tuesday, February 2.

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A school bus driver caught playing with himself on a coach was found to have thousands of indecent images of children.

Frederick McBride was meant to be picking up Alsop High School pupils from Walton Sports Centre on Tuesday, September 16, 2014.

But a gym user spotted the 59-year-old pleasuring himself on the empty vehicle in the car park at around 10.30am.

Liverpool Crown Court heard police then raided his home and discovered 9,490 child sex abuse photographs and videos.

Chris Taylor, prosecuting, said McBride, of Merton Road, Bootle was working for Maghull Coaches and was set to collect boys and girls aged eight to 13, who were playing football.

A man who was using an exercise bike looked towards the car park and saw McBride standing in the middle of the coach.

He reported the incident to staff, who could also see McBride playing with himself.

Mr Taylor said: “He was challenged and told he could be seen from the gym area.

“He said ‘I didn’t know, I was only masturbating over my bird’.”

The Walton school was informed and police were contacted before the bus pulled away from the car park.

Officers tracked McBride down and arrested him at around 2.30pm. He confirmed he was the driver.

Police recovered a laptop and external hard drive from his home which contained 849 Category A – the most serious category – plus 909 Category B and 7,732 Category C indecent photographs and videos.

McBride made no comment when first interviewed by police, but later confessed, saying he was sexually attracted to young girls.

He has no previous convictions, but was previously investigated after girls made allegations against him in 2002.

Mr Taylor said no charges were brought in relation to these matters, adding that Maghull Coaches were aware of the allegations “but continued to place trust in him”.

He said McBride claimed he downloaded the images after that investigation ended “as a form of revenge against those girls who had made those initial allegations”.

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McBride admitted outraging public decency and four counts of downloading incident photographs of children.

Katy Appleton, defending, said her client was seeking help from a psychologist and his doctor.

She said: “He is somebody who desperately needs help. He deeply wants to try and understand his offending behaviour.”

Ms Appleton said McBride was a low risk of re-offending and urged the judge to follow probation staff’s recommendation to give him help to address his problems.

Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, said McBride breached the trust placed in him by Maghull Coaches and downloaded the images over many years.

He said: “It’s no coincidence in my judgement that for the most part the images were of young female children aged between eight and 10.

“There were such children among the group of those you were waiting to collect. It’s clear you have an unhealthy sexual interest in girls of that age.”

Judge Flewitt handed him 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, plus two year’s supervision and 80 hours of unpaid work.

He ordered McBride to attend an internet sex offender group programme and to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years, while subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A Merseyside Police sergeant claimed he was more embarrassed about a skin condition than masturbating in public while on duty.

David Gibson, 44, denies misconduct in a public office after allegedly forcing a prostitute to perform a sex act or face arrest in the early hours of November 6, 2014.

The former sex worker, aged 30, claimed she approached Gibson’s unmarked police vehicle on Shiel Road in Tuebrook, believing him to be a punter, and was asked what she would do for him to “be the nice man” and let her go.

Gibson, of Kirkman Fold, Rainhill, told a jury at Liverpool Crown Court that he was trying to obtain intelligence about drug dealers from the woman and denied any sexual contact.

He told the court samples of semen, found on the passenger side seat of the vehicle, were from him performing a sex act on himself in a “quiet back street” near Wavertree Technology Park around an hour before he met the woman.

Maria Masselis, prosecuting, asked “What drove you to masturbate?”

Gibson claimed he was suffering from the chronic skin condition psoriasis on the night of the incident.

He said: “My skin condition, one of the side effects is it can be very itchy, and I was itchy in my groin area and I rubbed it and became aroused, and, yes, I masturbated.”

But Ms Masselis questioned why he had not mentioned the skin condition in either of his police interviews after he was arrested on November 18, 2014.

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She said: “You understand the first time you have ever talked about this is during this trial?”

Gibson replied: “Yes.”

Ms Masselis said: “You had opportunities to give this account and discuss your skin condition in your first interview and your second interview.”

But Gibson claimed: “I was embarrassed, I would rather people think I had masturbated than know about my skin condition. I didn’t want to talk about it.”

Judge Clement Goldstone, QC, presiding over the trial asked: “So the position is that you were more embarrassed about your skin condition than masturbating in public in your police uniform?”

Gibson replied: “Yes.”

Ms Masselis also questioned Gibson over why he did not run any checks on the sex worker over police computers when she got into his vehicle.

Gibson claimed he did not want to “become involved in an arrest” as he was expected to be free to supervise his officers and perform his duties as a sergeant.

Ms Masselis said: “She could have been wanted for murder for all you knew? And you didn’t think you were doing anything wrong by not checking her out?”

Gibson said he did not.

Merseyside Police sergeant David Gibson, who allegedly engaged in a sexual act with a prostitute while on duty, leaves Liverpool Crown Court on the first day of his trial.

The defendant was asked whether he thought the complainant had a reason to make up the allegations against him.

Gibson said: “At the time no, but now, having heard about her abusive ex-partner, I can now understand why she needed an excuse to go home with no money and no drugs.”

After Ms Masselis finished her cross-examination, Judge Goldstone asked: “Suppose she wanted to give you information, because she felt you had treated her fairly and you built up a rapport, how would she have been able to do so given that she didn’t know your name and you didn’t know hers?”

Gibson replied: “She would have known by collar number, it is quite easy to remember and she remembered some letters of the registration plate. She could have rung up, and if I had seen her on the street she could have stopped me.”

(Proceeding)

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A man arrested after climbing on to the roof of the Dockers Club in Anfield is due to appear in court today.

William Summerhill, 25, of Carno Street, Wavertree , is accused of resisting arrest and three counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Police were called to the Dockers Club in Townsend Lane on Tuesday afternoon to reports that a man had fled from a nearby house on to the roof and the area was sealed off as attempts were made to talk him down.

Summerhill was charged last night and will appear before magistrates in Liverpool this morning.

A 50-year-old man and 44-year-old woman who were arrested at a house in nearby Lampeter Road as police executed a Misuse of Drugs warrant on Tuesday afternoon have been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Violence erupted in the area later when a firebomb was thrown causing four police officers to suffer burn injuries.

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A school bus driver found to have thousands of indecent images of children after being caught pleasuring himself as he waited to collect pupils has been sacked.

Frederick McBride escaped a jail sentence yesterday despite admitting outraging public decency and downloading indecent photographs.

Police raided his home in Merton Road, Bootle after the 59-year-old was seen performing a sex act while standing up on his coach, as he waited to collect boys and girls aged eight to 13, from Walton Sports Centre.

Today, staff at Maghull Coaches, who McBride was working for said that McBride had been sacked from his job as soon as the offences emerged in September 2014.

Liverpool crown court yesterday heard that McBride had no previous convictions but was previously investigated after girls made allegations against him in 2002.

No charges were brought in relation to these matters and Maghull Coaches continued to employ him.

Judge Neil Flewin said McBride had breached the trust the company had placed in him.

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McBride, of Merton Road, Bootle, had been spotted committing the indecent act by a gym user on an exercise bike who complained he could clearly see him across the empty car park.

When police raided his home they recovered a laptop and external hard drive f which contained 849 Category A – the most serious category – plus 909 Category B and 7,732 Category C indecent photographs and videos.

In interview, he admitted being sexually attracted to young girls.

McBride admitted outraging public decency and four counts of downloading incident photographs of children.

His barrister said her client was seeking help from a psychologist and his doctor.

Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, gave McBride a 12 months prison sentence suspended for two years, plus two year’s supervision and 80 hours of unpaid work.

He also ordered him to attend an internet sex offender group programme and to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

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A man accused of climbing on to the roof of the Dockers Club in Anfield appeared at Liverpool Magistrates Court today.

William Summerhill, 25, was charged with resisting arrest and three counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Appearing in the dock, Summerhill, of Carno Street, Wavertree , entered no plea to those matters.

He was remanded in custody ahead of a further hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on March 3.

Police were called to the Dockers Club in Townsend Lane on Tuesday to reports that a man had fled from a nearby house on to the roof.

The area was sealed off as attempts were made to talk him down.

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During the same court appearance Summerhill pleaded guilty to separate charges of driving without due care or attention, wilfully obstructing a police officer and failing to stop. That incident happened in July. He was fined £120 and given nine points on his driving licence.

Summerhill was driving a silver BMW on Mill Lane in West Derby at 11.50am on the July 28 when James Tyrell jumped in the passenger seat to avoid a police officer who was pursuing him in connection with a fight in the street.

The court heard the officer, a PC Jones, told a second man involved in the altercation, who was injured, to stay where he was and tried to pursue James Tyrell, who had jumped in to Summerhill’s BMW, telling him to stop.

Summerhill ignored that command and drove away from the officer. Tyrell then jumped out of the car and ran from the officer before he was picked up by Summerhill for a second time close to a nearby petrol station.

Tyrell then fell from the vehicle and was arrested while Summerhill was arrested later.

Violence erupted in Anfield following Summerhill’s arrest on Tuesday when a firebomb was thrown causing four police officers to suffer burn injuries.

A short time later a 50-year-old man and 44-year-old woman who were arrested at a house in Lampeter Road, near to the Dockers Club, as police executed a Misuse of Drugs warrant. They have been released on bail pending further enquiries.

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A Liverpool man faces counterfeit currency and drugs charges after allegedly trying to buy furniture with fake Scottish bank notes.

Sam Walker, 32, is alleged to have committed fraud by promising to pay Instyle Furniture in County Road, Walton £4,200 for goods on April 25 last year.

Walker, of Beetham Plaza in Liverpool city centre, is accused of tendering £4,200 of Scottish bank notes “which he knew or believed to be counterfeit”.

Liverpool Crown Court heard he also faces three counts relating to alleged drug possession on July 9, 2014.

The defendant, formerly from Garston, is alleged to have possessed the Class A drug MDMA and the Class B drugs cannabis and ketamine.

Walker did not appear in the dock during a brief hearing this morning.

Robert Jones, prosecuting, said Walker is yet to enter any pleas to the charges.

Judge Robert Trevor-Jones adjourned the case until February 9, when Walker will appear for a plea and case management hearing.

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A jilted boyfriend denied starting a fire at his ex-partner’s Tuebrook home which killed her dog.

Danny Rowan, 34, was arrested after an incident at Jodie Arnold’s house in July Road in November last year.

Miss Arnold and her three children were not at home, but her Staffordshire bull terrier Naz died of smoke inhalation.

Prosecutors say “jealous” Rowan, who also lives in July Road, was angry when the couple split up.

They say he let himself into her home with his key on November 5 and assaulted her.

Rowan is alleged to have “bombarded” her with text messages over the next two days, before torching the property at around 7.30am on November 8.

He denies assault and arson reckless as to whether life was endangered at Liverpool Crown Court .

Rowan accepts having a key to the property, but denies going into her house on either occasion.

He told police a man came up to him that morning and said he could smell burning.

Scene of a fire in Tuebrook, believed to have been deliberate. A dog died in the fire at the home of a woman and her three children.

Officers asked him why he did not stop, but Rowan said he was on his way to work.

Lee Bonner, prosecuting, said Rowan knew where the fire was, because he later sent Miss Arnold a text, which read: “Some random fella stopped me this morning saying your house smelt of burning. Is everything okay?”

Police asked him why he did not phone the emergency services or go to the house to alert or rescue her, but he said it was nothing to do with him.

Rowan was due in work at a catering company – around three miles away – at 7.30am. CCTV footage showed he arrived at 7.39am.

A co-worker said Rowan also told her he had been flagged down by the man.

She said he told her he could see the home’s windows were black.

However, Rowan told the jury that he didn’t see the home’s windows were black, and repeated that the blaze was nothing to do with him.

Lloyd Morgan, defending, accepted his client had harrassed an ex-girlfriend in 2010, but said he did not set fire to her house or attack her.

The jury previously heard how Miss Arnold and Rowan “scuffled” in an earlier argument on August 1.

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Rowan smashed her front window and received a police caution for the offence.

Mr Morgan said: “There is a quantum leap between throwing a crate in anger at a window and going in and setting fires.

“The texts are appalling. They probably show the sign of somebody who was taking the break-up rather badly.

“You might have come to the conclusion that Danny Rowan is an unpleasant character.

“But where is the evidence from these other incidents that suggests he is capable of going in and starting fires?”

(Proceeding)

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A police officer who repeatedly made sexual advances to female domestic abuse victims could be sacked from the Merseyside force .

Michael McMillan is facing an internal misconduct hearing on Thursday, February 11 after admitting he used his position as a constable to persistently contact women for his own ‘sexual purposes.’

The 32-year-old is professionally accused of breaching his duties and responsibilities, failing to show honesty and integrity and showing discreditable conduct.

The police officer, from Victoria Road, Crosby, will appear before a panel, which includes a high-ranking Merseyside Police officer to decide if he can keep his job.

McMillan pleaded guilty to five counts of misconduct in a public office in January at Liverpool Crown Court .

A judge warned him prison was inevitable.

He is currently suspended and will be sentenced in a criminal court in March.

McMillan used his position in Merseyside Police’s Family Crime Investigation Unit to badger women over a three year period, starting in June 2011 and ending in June 2014.

His first victim, named as Miss A, he badgered twice, contacting her a second time after a three year gap.

Merseyside Police said they followed a ‘thorough and extensive investigation’ by the force’s Anti Corruption Unit (ACU), managed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

McMillan, who was released on bail after pleading guilty to the criminal offences, suffers from bipolar disorder and his lawyers have requested a psychiatric report for his sentencing.

After he admitted the offences, Deputy Chief Constable Andy Cooke said: “McMillan’s behaviour as an officer is beyond comprehension.

“He was in a position of trust in the Family Crime Investigation Unit and he abused that trust when dealing with vulnerable victims of crime.

“He manipulated women who looked to him for professional support for his own sexual gratification and his behaviour is despicable and unforgivable.”

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

Heritage campaigners fighting to block £35m redevelopment plans for Lime Street will today submit a new legal challenge to the scheme.

SAVE Britain’s Heritage’s latest bid will be through the Court of Appeal and comes after similar moves have been dismissed by the government and the High Court.

The group has been accused of “scaremongering” over the plans by both developers Neptune and Liverpool council, who are backing the scheme.

Today’s application to the Court of Appeal will see SAVE re-iterate its belief the plans should be blocked because they were not properly consulted on.

Plans for the regeneration of the Eastside of Lime Street

Arguing the council did not consider the project’s impact on the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site when it approved the plans, SAVE also believes the government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) should have been informed at an earlier stage.

Despite claims the group’s efforts are ramping up costs and putting any development of Lime Street – and subsequent plans to pump millions into the Grade II listed ABC cinema on the street – at risk, SAVE fear that if the student accommodation, hotel and shops bid goes ahead it will set a precedent that could undermine other protected sites in Liverpool and around the UK.

Lime Street regeneration

The scheme would see the demolition of buildings , including the 1912-built Futurist cinema, between the listed Crown and Vines pubs.

Fundraising appeals to raise the estimated £12,500 legal costs of further action have so far led to donations totalling £3,000 from more than 60 people – including Merseyside Civic Society and 2012 Olympics opening ceremony writer Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Clem Cecil, SAVE’s director, said: “We are heartened by the response to our fundraising appeal. It is important to remember that despite Lime Street’s present dilapidated appearance, repairing the street could lead to a significant uplift, improving the economy of the area and creating a place where people want to spend time.

“ Liverpool’s WHS is at risk due to inappropriate development, of which this is a continuation. This is something that DCMS and Secretary of State John Whittingdale should be taking seriously.”

Earlier this week, bosses at Neptune accused SAVE of “scaremongering” over the plans, which have been backed by the former chair of Liverpool Architectural Society and senior lecturer in Urban Design at Liverpool John Moores University , Dominic Wilkinson.

Mr Wilkinson said: “This project will have no impact whatsoever on the World Heritage Site and that sounds like the kind of stock criticism you fall back on when there is no other cause for objection. There are many places where the impact of development is threatening heritage buildings, but this is simply not one of them.”

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A pensioner with a grudge has admitted sparking a massive bomb alert in Liverpool city centre .

David Norris was accused of ‘bomb hoax – placing an article with intent’ after Tithebarn Street and surrounding roads were placed on lockdown on January 8 .

Today he appeared by video link at Liverpool crown court which heard he had pleaded guilty to the charge.

The court was told the 74-year-old got involved in a row with staff at boat insurers Groves, John and Westrup (GJW) and claimed to have a ‘suspect package.’

No one was injured, and the package was subsequently found to pose no danger to the public.

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Norris, who lives in France, court papers have said, today appeared for a committal for sentence at Liverpool Crown Court.

It emerged that the pensioner had already pleaded guilty to the bomb hoax offence at the magistrates court.

When asked if he had admitted the offence of causing a bomb hoax, he replied: “That is correct.”

The Recorder of Liverpool, Clement Goldstone, criticised the fact that Norris appeared via a video link from HMP Liverpool, and was not at the court in person.

He described the case, which saw large parts of Liverpool city centre sealed off amid fears a bomb could go off, of significant public interest.

Recorder Goldstone described Norris’ actions as ‘bizarre’ and the result of a two decade-long ‘burning grudge.’

He said: “This is as bizarre conduct as it is serious.

“It seems for the last 20 years or so the defendant has been nursing a burning grudge which has grown within him like some inoperable disease.

“One needs to know why on the face of it, a perfectly normal, decent and law abiding individual should have behaved in the way he did, effectively causing mayhem to the city.”

Armed Police and Bomb Squad at an incident on Tithebarn Street Liverpool City Centre

His Honour Goldstone says he needed to find out if Norris had any psychiatric issues which might have an effect on the sentence he might receive.

He added: “It speaks for itself this has been festering inside him for so long and manifested in this way.

“I’m very surprised the advocate in the court below (magistrates court) did not flag this up.”

Recorder Goldstone ordered a psychiatric report be prepared into Norris’ mental health, which will take around six weeks.

He told Norris, who wore a grey jumper and looked calm and composed on the video link: “David Norris, I am quite satisfied that, on the material before me, I do not have sufficient to determine the appropriate sentence in this case.

“Whether there is any psychiatric reason as to why you behaved as you did, I am going to find out.”

The case against Norris was adjourned until March and he was remanded in custody until then.

Criminal carers

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A woman bought tickets for a Robbie Williams concert in Paris with money meant for her dying dad’s care home fees.

Sarah Ferguson, 50, stole more than £4,000 from 79-year-old James Barnes after being entrusted with his savings.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how the mum drained his bank account before running up a £3,000 debt on his credit card.

Edmund Haygarth, prosecuting, said Ferguson and her brother Neil Barnes were granted control over his finances in 2011.

Mr Barnes later moved into a care home in Oxton, Wirral, where he died on February 13, 2015.

His pension from Vauxhall Motors was paid into a bank account intended to cover his care costs and expenses.

Mr Haygarth said: “On October 10, 2014, it was more than £7,395 in credit. By the end of the year it was £2,475 overdrawn.

“The reason for that is because Sarah Ferguson had been spending that money.”

More stories from the courts

Ferguson, of Mount Park, Bebington stole £930 in November 2014 to buy two tickets to see the pop star. He performed in France in March 2015.

She was confronted by her brother after he noticed payments “which he thought had no relevance to his father’s welfare”.

Mr Haygarth said: “She admitted spending the money but said she would settle the debt and any outstanding fees.

“Her brother expected that would be the end of the matter, but sadly she continued to spend his money.”

Sarah Ferguson leaves Liverpool Crown Court.

Ferguson withdrew £450 in cash between December 11 and 12 and then used her dad’s credit card until January 15, 2015.

Her brother reported her to the police but she claimed the theft was “legally but not morally wrong”.

Mr Haygarth said: “She had no income at that point and she made the observation her father would have given her the shirt off his back.

“She then accepted it was both legally and morally wrong that she had not paid her father’s care home fees.

“She was asked how he would feel left unable to pay bills and was honest enough to admit ‘he would be mortified’.”

Ferguson admitted three counts of theft. She has no previous convictions.

Mr Haygarth said the Crown dropped nine other allegations of theft as Ferguson was paying back the money out of the inheritance Mr Barnes’ left her in his will.

The Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, Liverpool Crown Court.

Jeremy Hawthorne, defending, said unemployed Ferguson had been living in Mr Barnes’s house.

He said her brother lived in the Home Counties and she looked after her dad before visiting him regularly at the care home.

Mr Hawthorne said she spent the money on herself and her children and “things simply got out of control”.

He said: “She never went to the concert. She has no explanation as to why she bought the tickets.”

Ferguson told the court she was diagnosed as bipolar and currently taking lithium.

Recorder David Turner, QC, said he was able to suspend a four-month jail sentence for two years because the money would be paid back.

The judge said: “You were in a particular position of trust – a position of trust which you abused. You should be thoroughly ashamed of what you did.

“You helped yourself to over £7,000 – some of it legitimate, some of it not – out of the bank account, and when that could no longer be used, you helped yourself to the credit card.

“You accept your father would have been mortified – him being a hard working man.”

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

Two drunks who hijacked a taxi before burning out the clutch and being forced to flee were locked up.

Phillip Ballard and Shaun Kearns already had suspended sentences hanging over them when when they carried out the robbery in St Helens just before Christmas.

Robert Jones, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court how their victim, Saleh Ahmed, arrived in his taxi at McDonalds in Chalom Way at 4am on December 21 to collect some passengers.

Two young men got in but Ballard and Kearns, who were swigging from a bottle vodka, also climbed in and after a row the other passengers got out.

Ballard told the driver that he had better drive off or he would “kill him” and said he had just got out of prison.

Kearns, who was in the back seat, then told Mr Ahmed that they were going to take his car. They all climbed out of the car and a scuffle ensued which ended with the pair driving away in his Volvo private hire taxi.

But within a short distance Ballard managed to burn the clutch out and they abandoned the car in the middle of Green Leach Lane before fleeing. Police quickly found drunken Ballard sleeping underneath a hedge.

Mr Jones said he was aggressive and had to be overpowered before being arrested. Kearns, 24, was later tracked down and arrested at his home on December 23.

Mr Ahmed was uninjured but was left with a bill of £500 for damage to his vehicle and he also lost £450 in earnings.

Kearns, of Park Avenue, St Helens, and Ballard, 23, of Oak Avenue, Newton-le-Willows, both pleaded not guilty to robbery and breaching their suspended sentences. Ballard also admitted driving without insurance and failing to provide a specimen of breath.

Ballard was banned from driving for four years and Kearns was disqualified for two years.

Jailing Ballard for a total of 38 months and Kearns for a total of 32 months Judge David Aubrey, QC, said that Mr Ahmed had been a vulnerable victim alone at night carrying out a public service.

He said: “The court accepts it was an opportunistic robbery.”

The court heard was told that both men have mental health issues and had been drinking to excess that night.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/