An appeal for a second judicial review into Lincolnshire County Council’s decision to cut the number of libraries from 45 to 15 has been lost.

After a hearing which began on Tuesday, July 21, a High Court judge dismissed the legal challenge on all grounds.

On the day of the decision, Lincolnshire County Council is flagging the challenges as a ‘waste of money’ after over £350,000 was spent for the two High Court challenges.

The council also stated that delays caused by legal action have led to the likely closure of Boultham library in Lincoln after a bid was withdrawn by Lincolnshire Co-op.

As previously reported, the council resubmitted plans to see 30 libraries transformed into ‘community hubs’ after original proposals were quashed in High Court in 2013.

Campaigners against the cuts sought a second judicial review after the new plans were approved in February, which included the option to put the restructured service out to tender.

The decision, which was made on Tuesday, July 28, was met with disappointment from Save Lincolnshire Libraries campaigners.

Spokesperson from the group Julie Harrison said: “I am so sorry and disappointed for all the people in Lincolnshire who will not be able to access the libraries service that they know and depend on.

“Having sat through the hearing I am very surprised at the decision. Personally, I feel very strongly for the children who will not be able to access library facilities growing up.

“I sincerely hope that the demands will be met by the community hubs, and poorest and most rural areas of Lincolnshire will not suffer.”

“£350,000 wasted”

Councillor Nick Worth, Executive Member for Libraries, said: “We’re delighted with the judge’s decision.

“However, it’s disappointing that at least £350,000 has had to be wasted defending plans that are clearly best for taxpayers, best for library users and best for local communities.

“The delays caused by the legal action have also led to Lincolnshire Co-op withdrawing its bid for Boultham Library, meaning this site is now likely to close.

“Hopefully, the campaigners will now see their actions are only having a negative effect on services, and they are doing anything but save Lincolnshire libraries.

“Now we have cleared this hurdle, we can concentrate on putting the new-look service in place – something that will ensure the future of local libraries.

“We’re working closely with local groups to get the new community hubs up-and-running, and have a few that are ready to go-live in the next few weeks,

“The rest will then follow over the summer months in a phased approach. Everything should be in place by the end of September.

“I’m sure these new facilities will be of real benefit to their local community.”

The authority is currently undertaking a competitive procurement to seek an external organisation to potentially deliver library services on its behalf, including the support for the community hubs.

This follows an approach by Greenwich Leisure Limited, a not-for-profit organisation interested in running local libraries.

It is likely to take until the end of 2015 before a final decision is reached on who will run the service.

Councillor Martin Hill, Conservative Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, also issued a statement after the decision. He said: “I am very pleased to hear the good news that our decision to modernise the library service, encourage volunteering and save money has been vindicated.

“The unnecessary and politically-inspired legal challenge has been dismissed on all grounds.

“What is disappointing is that over £350k of taxpayers’ money has been wasted, voluntary groups frustrated and at least one library lost as a result of this action.

“We have also been forced to put the service out to tender.

“Our opponents have done their best to convince people that we are trying to close libraries. In fact, we are hoping to increase the number.

“I would like to thank all the volunteers and staff for their patience and commitment through a difficult time.”

The Lincolnite revealed recently the first Lincolnshire libraries set to make the transition into community hubs, with Ermine and Birchwood libraries the first in Lincoln to close and reopen.

The first people to be prosecuted for ignoring Lincoln’s historic legal highs ban have been ordered to pay a total of £720 at the city’s magistrates’ court.

City of Lincoln Council became the first authority in the country in April 2015 to introduce a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), banning the public consumption of legal highs in the city centre, in a bid to tackle the anti-social behaviour they cause.

More than 200 people have been dealt with since the order was launched.

Now the council has secured successful prosecutions against the first people to have breached the ban, with 13 prosecutions pending.

Lincoln Magistrates’ Court fined Kristofer McAllister, 32, from Lincoln £150 and ordered him to pay costs of £100 and a £15 victims’ surcharge on July 15.

The court heard that McAllister was found under the influence near the Wigford Way underpass on April 2 by a patrolling police officer, who found sealed and empty packets of legal highs in McAllister’s possession.

When asked what he was doing with them, McAllister admitted he had smoked them and surrendered the packets.

However, around an hour later, another police officer on patrol with a city council officer saw McAllister still under the influence and found more packets of legal highs and a small pipe with residue on it.

McAllister was issued a Fixed Penalty Notice on April 17, which he failed to pay.

In the second case on July 22, the court heard that a member of the public stopped a police officer in St Mary’s Street on April 2 and advised him a group of people were smoking and acting suspiciously nearby.

One of the group, David Rhodes, 24, was found to have a tobacco tin containing a small amount of legal highs and numerous empty packets of the substances.

He was issued a Fixed Penalty Notice on April 16, which he failed to pay.

He was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £200 and a £20 victims’ surcharge.

Sam Barstow, Service Manager for Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour at the city council, said: “We believe the PSPO has already had a huge impact in the city centre and these outcomes in court are very promising, showing that the consumption of legal highs is something the council, police and courts take very seriously.

“We are working very closely with Lincolnshire Police to enforce the order, and continue to offer support through Addaction to everyone we find in possession of these dangerous substances. So far we have dealt with more than 200 people under the PSPO with a further 13 prosecutions pending.

“It’s become extremely well-recognised now that legal highs can cause a lot of damage to individuals, families, and communities and we are pleased to have secured the first prosecutions of this kind in the country.

“We will continue to monitor the impact of the ban and work with the police to continue this proactive approach to protect our city, its residents and visitors.

“It is important to remember the significant impact that persons consuming these substances have on others, as was widely evidenced and supported in our consultation and evidence gathering process.”

Anyone who breaches the PSPO is committing a criminal offence and could receive a Fixed Penalty Notice or face a fine in court.

Police and council enforcement officers have the power to demand the surrender of the intoxicating substances and will work with people they find persistently offending.

Inspector Pat Coates, of Lincolnshire Police, said: “We are pleased that the courts have supported the action the police and city council have taken using the Public Space Protection Order.

“We continue to enforce the order on a daily basis in the city centre and since the introduction of the order we believe we have seen a reduction in consumption of these substances and the associated anti-social behaviour it causes.

“We still work very closely with treatment agencies and our hope is that people access treatment rather than be prosecuted at court, but where they will not and continue to consume the substances in the city centre causing Anti-Social Behaviour this demonstrates that we will take action.”

A schizophrenic who brutally killed his parents before driving their bodies 150 miles and burying them in a garden in Lincoln, has been sentenced to life in a secure hospital unit.

Timothy Crook, 51, was found guilty of manslaughter with diminished responsibility at Bristol Crown Court on July 20 for bludgeoning his elderly parents Robert, 83, and Elsie, 76, to death at their home in Swindon in July 2007.

The ex-Ministry of Defence employee, who was cleared of murder, will be detained for a minimum of 16 years in hospital.

As previously reported, the court heard that Crook attacked the pair by kicking, punching and stamping on them as well as hitting them with a weapon.

He then crammed their bodies into the back of a Nissan Micra and buried them under a set of wheelie bins at a house he owned in Lincoln.

Crook was arrested eight years ago but had been judged unfit to stand trial due to mental health problems.

A Lincolnshire sea fisherman who was proved at Lincoln Crown Court to have wrongly been handed two parking convictions, has criticised Lincolnshire County Council for wasting thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money.

Alexander Sprott, 34, was taken to court by the county council after being accused of illegally leaving his van overnight in a coastal car park at Huttoft Car Terrace.

New regulations were brought in by the council in response to complaints from residents to prevent campervanners from parking overnight.

Fishermen are exempt from the laws provided they don’t sleep on site and the vehicle is less than 1.9 metres high.

Sprott, of Ascot Drive, Grantham, was originally convicted by Boston Magistrates’ Court of two breaches of the by-laws on May 11 and July 5, 2014 and was given a £830 penalty for fines and costs.

But Sprott took the case to appeal at Lincoln Crown Court, where he represented himself in front of a judge and two magistrates.

After a 90 minute hearing he was cleared of both offences and awarded £669 costs against the county council.

Following the decision, Sprott said: “I’m a law-abiding citizen. The council has wasted thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money.

“I’m elated to have won. It’s a great relief. This has been going on for over a year. I enjoy my weekends at the coast. I spend most of my free money there. I’m a very keen sea angler and I’ve been going to that beach for years.”

The council claimed Sprott’s VW van contravened the fishing permit regulations because it was too high and they claimed he had slept in his van.

But at the appeal Matthew Davey, the authority’s Environment and Community Projects Officer, admitted the van was never measured and instead he relied on details supplied by the manufacturer.

Sprott told the court that a police officer who later measured the vehicle found it was only 1.84m high and so not in breach of the regulation.

PC Zara Springall, who served on July 5, admitted she only tapped lightly on the windscreen before she slapped the ticket on the vehicle at 2am.

She said it was “possible” the occupant was asleep because she received no answer but she could not be sure.

Sprott said he did not hear her knock as he was inside his van listening to music on his headphones while tidying up after fishing.

He told the appeal hearing that the first fixed penalty notice issued on May 11 was simply a warning and he immediately took appropriate action in obtaining a fishing permit.

He argued that he should never have been prosecuted for that matter as it was simply a warning.

Judge Rosemary Coe QC, in delivering the decision of the bench, said in relation to the July 5 ticket the council had not established that Sprott’s van breached the 1.9 metre high regulation.

She said: “We find that they (Lincolnshire County Council) have not established, so that we are sure, that the appellant was asleep. Having heard the evidence of the appellant we are a long way from being sure that he was asleep.”

The judge ruled that prosecution for the May 11 ticket was an abuse of process as the warning notice given to Sprott said he would only be prosecuted for any future breach of the rules.

She added: “We are satisfied that this first prosecution should never have been prosecuted. The notice clearly states that this was a first offence and would be treated as a warning.

“We have no doubt that this was an abuse of process.”

After the case Matthew Davey, Lincolnshire County Council’s Environment and Community Projects Officer, said: “We are, of course, disappointed with the decision. However, we will continue to monitor the car parks over the summer and seek to continue to enforce the by-laws.”

As previously reported, the county council handed out almost 30,000 parking fines during a 10 month period on 2014.

A Lincolnshire man has been sentenced to five years in prison after weapons, ammunition and firearms were discovered in Lincoln and Market Rasen.

Mark Randall, 55, from Kilnwell Road, Market Rasen pleaded guilty to a number of possession offences at Lincoln Crown Court on Tuesday, August 4.

Randall was taken to court following the discovery of the weapons during police investigations in Market Rasen, and a separate lock up in Lincoln, in April.

Randall was handed the following sentences to be served concurrently:

• 1 x Possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate – 2 years
• 1 x Possessing a prohibited weapon – 5 years
• 1 x Possessing expanding ammunition – 2 years
• 3 x Possessing a prohibited firearm – 5 years

A Destruction Order was also made for the firearms to be disposed of.

The Lincolnshire Police Investigating Officer PC Phil Gidlow said: “This is a really positive result and the destruction order allows us to destroy the large amount of weapons Mark Randall had.”

A shopkeeper who was caught selling counterfeit cigarettes has been given a suspended sentence at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court.

Karwan Aziz Hussain sold non-duty paid Marlboro Gold cigarettes to undercover officers at International Foods on Portland Street in Lincoln in October 2014.

Lincolnshire Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police raided the premises a month later and found over 25,000 cigarettes and 114 packets of tobacco.

These were all non-duty paid, and a number of the cigarettes were counterfeit.

Hussein was given an eight week custodial sentence suspended for one year, as well as 250 hours of unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay fines and costs of £1,080.

Dan Brown, senior trading standards officer at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “In this case, we found out that the shop was selling these cigarettes by a routine test purchase.

“Mr Hussein sold us a pack of 20 Marlboro Gold for £5. These cigarettes currently retail for £9.16 – so this immediately aroused our suspicion. We then went back, raided the premises and obviously found a lot more.

“The products were seized as they were counterfeit or non-duty paid. A number of them were actually unsafe.

“Retailers have a duty to understand how the law applies to them – and how they should follow it to ensure the safety of their customers.

“As Trading Standards Officers, we aim to create a fair and equitable trading environment for all, so we’re here to protect consumers and genuine retailers selling genuine products and crack down on those who don’t.

“Counterfeit cigarettes are often more harmful to health as they can contain a higher level of toxic chemicals and are more dangerous as they do not burn out if left unattended like genuine products. This is why our work is so vital and we will never hesitate to take action against these criminals.”

To report the sale of counterfeit or fake cigarettes, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A Lincoln man has been ordered to pay £570 for breaching the city’s Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) after refusing to surrender alcohol to council officers.

Andrew McInnes, 43, of Chatterton Avenue, was found guilty in his absence at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, August 5, receiving a £200 fine and ordered to pay £200 costs, a victims’ surcharge of £20 and £150 Criminal Courts Charge.

The court heard that on Friday, May 8, a council officer accompanied by a police officer attended the New Life Church, in Newland, to serve McInnes with papers relating to a separate prosecution.

McInnes smelt strongly of alcohol and the police officer could see bottles of cider in a carrier bag, which he asked McInnes to surrender.

McInnes handed over an open bottle but refused to surrender the sealed bottle.

This was the third successful prosecution following the introduction of the PSPO and the first relating to alcohol offences.

It follows the first two cases to be heard in court for breaching the PSPO – which also bans the public consumption of so-called ‘legal highs’ – that took place last month and were both successful.

In April, Lincoln became the first place in the country to ban the public consumption of legal highs and alcohol in the city centre, in a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Sam Barstow, Service Manager for Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour at City of Lincoln Council, said: “It is pleasing that the court has once again backed our use of a PSPO to tackle issues in Lincoln city centre related to substance misuse.

“McInnes is well known to council officers and we have been working hard to try to ensure he receives the help and support that he needs. Sadly this can often be unsuccessful and in order to protect people from becoming a victim due to his behaviour, legal action is sometimes necessary.

“The council and its partners will continue to work with McInnes to try to improve outcomes but it is also key that we ensure we provide protection for others within the city at the same time.

“In our consultation to bring in this order, it was clear the public supported the need to tackle on-street drinking and we are working hard to ensure we see a positive impact in our city centre.”

An armed robber held up a village post office forcing the terrified cashier to hand over cash before he fleeing across fields on a quad bike, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court was told on August 11.

Anton Stepniewski is alleged to have carried out the raid at Fiskerton near Lincoln after concealing his face with a balaclava and a hat before entering the post office armed with what appeared to be a gun.

David Allan, prosecuting, told the jury “We say that the defendant robbed the village post office in Fiskerton frightening the cashier with something that looked like a gun and he escaped with £2,700 in cash.”

Mr Allan alleged that after parking his van in the village, Stepniewski used a quad bike to make his way across fields to the rear of the post office which was in the village hall.

Then, after carrying out the raid, Stepniewski is alleged to have driven away on the quad bike, loaded it into his van and made off.

Stepniewski denies he was the robber claiming that the person responsible was someone else.

He was arrested the day after the raid was carried out in February of this year and initially told police that he was in his girlfriend’s home village of Blyton near Gainsborough when the robbery was being staged.

But Mr Allan said that Stepniewski told officers “a pack of lies” about his movements on the day of the incident.

Mr Allan told the jury that police inquiries revealed CCTV footage of Stepniewski at a petrol filling station at Caenby Corner on the morning.

The van that Stepniewski was driving was found to have a tracker device which showed that at the time the robbery was committed the vehicle was parked in Hall Lane, Fiskerton.

Officers who carried out a search of the village recovered a balaclava, a hat and a glove from a dog waste bin in the same road.

Mr Allan said “The tracking data, we say, established beyond doubt that the defendant’s van did start the day at Blyton as he said in his interview.”

The prosecutor said the vehicle went on to Corringham and then Gainsborough confirming what Stepniewski said in the interview but he added “The van then drove to Caenby Corner then on the A15 turning off and driving to Fiskerton. It arrived half an hour before the robbery took place. It remained there until 10 minutes after the robbery took place. Then it left and drove away from the vicinity.

“He told a pack of lies about his movements on the day of the robbery given what we now know.

Mr Allan said that DNA testing on the items found in the dog waste bin also provided a link to Stepniewski.

Mr Allan said “There was DNA from more than one person on all three items but the person whose DNA gave the strongest result and the person whose DNA was on all three items in that bin was this defendant.

“It all adds up to what we submit to be a compelling case against this defendant.”

Anton Stepniewski ,26, of Sturgate, near Gainsborough, denies charges of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit robbery on 10 February this year.

The trial continues.

A man accused of staging an armed robbery at a Lincolnshire village post office is to face a retrial after the jury at Lincoln Crown Court was discharged.

Anton Stepniewski, 26, of Sturgate, near Gainsborough, is accused of carrying out a raid at the post office in Fiskerton near Lincoln.

He has denied charges of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit robbery on 10 February this year.

Judge Michael Heath discharged the jury of eight women and four men for legal reasons on August 13.

A retrial is to be held on a later date.

A Lincoln woman who repeatedly left her dustbins on the pavement has been fined £740.

Clare Clifton, of Ripon Street, left her bins on the street for between two and five days after her collection day on at least six occasions between March 20 and June 1 this year.

She was fined £400 and ordered to pay costs of £150, as well as a £40 victims’ surcharge and £150 Criminal Courts Charge after being found guilty in her absence at a hearing at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, August 13.

City of Lincoln Council first investigated the case in March following a complaint from a member of the public.

An officer from the council’s Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour team found three wheelie bins had been left out obstructing the pavement two days after collection day.

A warning letter was sent and several further attempts to contact Clifton also failed.

She was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice on May 22 but this was not paid and the council decided to take legal action.

Sam Barstow, Service Manager for Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour, said: “In cases like this we make several visits and issue at least two warnings before going to court as a last resort.

“We prefer to work with people to explain why taking your bin in is so important and help them if there is a particular reason they are struggling to do so.

“However, in this case, we were unable to make contact and all opportunities to resolve the situation were ignored.

“People obstructing pavements and streets by leaving out their bins is one of the most common complaints we receive.

“It is quite a serious issue, especially in some parts of Lincoln where streets are very narrow.

“The bins are unsightly but more importantly they are a nuisance and a danger to pedestrians. The elderly, wheelchair users, families with young children and children in pushchairs are either forced onto the road or cannot get past.”

Anyone who experiences problems with people leaving their bins out can call the Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour Team on 01522 873378, or report it online.

A judge today praised the courage of a teenage girl who helped to catch a flasher who sexually assaulted her during a train journey in Lincolnshire.

Craig Pressick, 44, repeatedly exposed himself and kissed the startled 17-year-old on the temple after she boarded a train between Lincoln and Sleaford.

Lincoln Crown Court was told the victim burst in to tears when she when was met at Sleaford railway station by her mother but then encouraged the train driver and waiting taxi drivers to prevent Pressick leaving until the police arrived.

The court heard Pressick was already on the train when the young woman got on in Lincoln.

Jon Straw, prosecuting, said Pressick immediately engaged the teenager in conversation and suggested she take some clothes off when she complained it was hot on the train.

Mr Straw told the court Pressick repeatedly asked if he could sit next to the woman and then suddenly kissed her on her right temple. He then moved in to the aisle and exposed himself.

“She could see the reflection of his activity in the window,” Mr Straw added.

The woman moved further down the train towards other passengers but when she tried to leave the train Pressick deliberately blocked her path and “smiled smugly”, the court heard.

Pressick also left the train at Sleaford and shouted towards another woman while placing his hand over his groin area.

The court was told Pressick had a previous conviction for indecent assault and had served a nine-year sentence for armed robbery.

Since the latest offence Pressick has been examined by two doctors who both concluded he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.

David Eager, mitigating, said: “This man’s behaviour as bizarre and upsetting as it was is the result of his mental health problems.”

Pressick, of no fixed address, admitted two offences of sexual assault and exposure on September 19, last year.

Passing sentence Judge Michael Heath ordered Pressick to register as a sex offender and made him the subject of a hospital order without a time restriction to protect the public.

Judge Heath also asked the Crown Prosecution Service to write Pressick’s victim to commend her conduct. The judge said: “She dealt with a very difficult situation in a very praise worthy and courageous manner.”

A cashier spoke of how he found himself face to face with a gunman during an armed robbery at a Lincolnshire village post office.

Joseph Stuffins, 24, told a jury at Lincoln Crown Court that he was working at the outreach post office in the village hall at Fiskerton near Lincoln when he was robbed of over £2,000 cash.

Stuffins said he was initially facing away from the robber when the man entered the post office.

But he told the jury: “When I turned round I saw a masked chap. He had managed to get the door open. I managed to jostle with him to get the door closed. At that point he pulled a gun.

“He was aiming the gun at me. It was at my chest as opposed to my head.”

Stuffins said the man demanded money and he placed bank notes into a post office bag.

He added that the man then asked if there was any more money but moments later walked out with the bank notes.

“The gun looked to me to be either decommissioned or maybe fake. It looked like metal but it could have been plastic.”

Anton Stepniewski, 26, of Sturgate, near Gainsborough, denies charges of robbery of Stuffins and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit robbery on February 10 this year.

David Allan, prosecuting, told the jury that Stepniewski was arrested the day after the robbery and initially told police he had not been near Fiskerton when the raid was carried out and said he was not involved.

But police inquiries revealed that the van he was using at the time was fitted with a tracker device which showed it had been in Fiskerton when the robbery was committed.

And a balaclava, a hat and a glove, alleged to belong to the robber, were found in a dog waste bin in Hall Lane, Fiskerton. Each of the three items contained Stepniewski’s DNA.

Allan said: “Every time he heard new evidence that proved his previous account was lies he changed his account.”

Allan alleged that Stepniewski parked his van in the village and then used a quad bike to make his way across fields to the rear of the post office.

Then, after carrying out the raid, Stepniewski is alleged to have driven away on the quad bike, loaded it into his van and driven off.

The trial continues.

A Lincoln man who admitted child pornography charges is to face sentence next month.

Craig Marshall, 45, of Larne Road, pleaded guilty to five charges of making indecent photographs of a child on dates between December 2012 and July 2014 when he appeared before Lincoln Crown Court.

Marshall also pleaded guilty to a further charge of possession of extreme pornography.

Judge Rosemary Coe adjourned sentence for the preparation of a probation report and Marshall was granted conditional bail to appear back in court for sentence on September 21.

A teenage motorist lost control of his car causing a fatal collision which left two people dead, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court heard.

Aron Baker, 18, of Steeping Court, Lincoln, who had passed his test just three months before the incident, was on a day out to the seaside with three friends when he collided with an oncoming vehicle near Alford.

Jeremy Janes, prosecuting, said that 16-year-old Matthew Ellis, a passenger in Baker’s car, was killed along with Jean Thomas, aged 70, who was a front seat passenger in the other vehicle.

He said that Baker and his friends initially drove to Cleethorpes and then made their way to Mablethorpe where they stopped off for food and to play on the arcades.

The fatal collision occurred on the A1104 at Snape Hill as they headed for Skegness.

The other driver, Alan Thomas, was travelling with his wife Jean to their home in Mablethorpe after collecting their daughter and grandson from Skegness Railway Station.

Janes told the jury: “Nobody is suggesting that when he set out on for a trip to the seaside with three of his friends that this defendant intended any of the consequences which occurred that afternoon. We do not say that this was a deliberate bad piece of driving.

“His driving, the prosecution say, fell below the standard that would be expected of any ordinary competent driver even for but a minute, if that is all it took. He lost control of his vehicle.

“It resulted in the death of one of his friends in his car and the death of Jean Thomas, a front seat passenger in a car being driven by her husband in the opposite direction.

“The prosecution don’t suggest he was speeding. His speed was probably in the region of 47 mph.

“He had only passed his test in January of last year, a matter of two to three months before this incident.

“He lost control of his car and went into the front corner of Mr Thomas’s car. The results were catastrophic. There were two dead. Everyone else received significant injuries. There were a number of broken limbs, a number of cuts. Some of them had to be cut out of their respective vehicles.”

Baker denies two charges of causing death by careless driving on April 18, 2014.

This is an ongoing trial in front a jury. Comments discretion is advised.

A teenage motorist accused of causing a double fatal crash this afternoon (Tues) admitted to a jury that he had only one hand off the steering wheel when the tragedy occurred.

Aaron Baker told the jury at Lincoln Crown Court that he had no memory of the collision on the A1104 near Alford which left his friend Matthew Ellis, 16, dead along with Jean Thomas, 70, a front seat passenger in an oncoming car.

Giving evidence on the second day of his trial Baker said could recall nothing after his Vauxhall Corsa went onto the nearside verge.

He told the jury: “I don’t recall the events leading up to the crash. All I can remember is the car going onto the verge and a bright white light and I was cut out of the car. I can’t remember why the car left the carriageway.”

The prosecution claim that Baker lost control of his vehicle due to carelessness and after going onto the verge he over-corrected the steering sending his car into the opposite lane colliding head-on with an oncoming car.

Baker said he was driving with only one hand on the steering wheel because “it felt comfortable” but under cross-examination he admitted he would have failed his driving test if he had steered using just one hand.

He added: “I admit I was driving carelessly but I don’t think it was my fault fully.”

Baker denied he did not have enough sleep on the previous evening and when asked about a post he put on Facebook claiming he only had four hours sleep he replied: “It wasn’t true. It was a childish macho thing that I truly regret. I wasn’t tired.”

He said he actually had six hours sleep and felt refreshed after a shower and breakfast before setting off with his friends for a day out at the coast.

Baker told the jury that he felt “gutted” that two people had died in the collision. He said “Its depressing thinking about it to this day.”

He said he was seriously injured himself in the collision and later underwent 14 hours of surgery before spending a week in intensive care at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham. He suffered fractures to his leg, femur, jaw and collarbone as well as damage to his right eye.

The jury heard that Baker passed his driving test on 31 January, just 11 weeks before the collision, and had also attained his “pass-plus” award. He had a black box fitted to his vehicle which recorded his journeys and speed. Analysis showed he consistently drove well below the speed limit and friends regarded him as a safe driver.

Aaron Baker, 18, of Steeping Court, Lincoln, denies two charges of causing death by careless driving on April 18, 2014. The trial continues.

This is an ongoing trial in front of a jury. Comments discretion is advised.

A teenage motorist accused of causing a double fatal crash was cleared by a jury at Lincoln Crown Court on August 26.

The jury of eight men and four women spent three hours deliberating before returning not guilty verdicts.

Aaron Baker, 18, of Steeping Court, Lincoln, had denied two charges of causing death by careless driving following the fatal collision on the A1104 at Snape Hill near Alford on April 18, 2014.

During the three day trial Baker admitted that he only had one hand on the steering wheel when the head-on collision occurred and accepted that meant his driving was careless.

But he told the jury that his driving was not the cause of the accident.

Aaron Baker’s friend Matthew Ellis, 16, who was a passenger in his car died as a result of the collision and Mablethorpe woman Jean Thomas, 70, a passenger in the oncoming car was also killed.

Baker and two of his passengers were seriously injured as were Alan Thomas, the husband of Mrs Thomas, together with his daughter Dawn and her son.

Baker said he could recall nothing after his Vauxhall Corsa went onto the nearside verge.

He told the jury: “I don’t recall the events leading up to the crash. All I can remember is the car going onto the verge and a bright white light and I was cut out of the car. I can’t remember why the car left the carriageway.”

The prosecution claimed that Baker lost control of his vehicle due to carelessness and after going onto the verge he over-corrected the steering sending his car into the opposite lane colliding head-on with an oncoming car.

Baker said he was driving with only one hand on the steering wheel because “it felt comfortable” but under cross-examination he admitted he would have failed his driving test if he had steered using just one hand.

He added “I admit I was driving carelessly but I don’t think it was my fault fully.”

Baker denied he did not have enough sleep on the previous evening and when asked about a post he put on Facebook claiming he only had four hours sleep he replied: “It wasn’t true. It was a childish macho thing that I truly regret. I wasn’t tired.”

He said he actually had six hours sleep and felt refreshed after a shower and breakfast before setting off with his friends for a day out at the coast.

Baker told the jury that he felt “gutted” that two people had died in the collision. He said “It’s depressing thinking about it to this day.”

He said he was seriously injured himself in the collision and later underwent 14 hours of surgery before spending a week in intensive care at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.

He suffered fractures to his leg, femur, jaw and collarbone as well as damage to his right eye.

The jury heard that Baker passed his driving test on January 31, 2014, just 11 weeks before the collision, and had also attained his “pass-plus” award.

He had a black box fitted to his vehicle which recorded his journeys and speed. Analysis showed he consistently drove well below the speed limit and friends regarded him as a safe driver.

His barrister Giles Bedloe told the jury: “This was an absolutely tragic convolution of circumstances. The real question was why Mr Baker’s car left the carriageway. Only if you are sure that it left the carriageway because of a lack of attention on his part do you return a verdict of guilty.”

Afterwards the family of Matthew Ellis, who lived in Bunkers Hill, Lincoln, issued a statement saying: “After 16 months since this tragic accident, we now fully understand the full details of how events unfolded on April, 18 2014. These answers, I believe, will help our family and friends start to come to terms with the huge loss of Matt.”

“I would like to thank all our family and close friends of Matt who have supported us with courageous strength during these difficult days.

“Matty is loved so much within many circles and is sadly missed every day. However, we take much comfort in knowing what a kind, loving, caring, successful young man he was and will always be remembered forever.

“Thanks to Lincolnshire Police and the CPS for their incredible support and professionalism in presenting the true facts of what happened on April 18.

“We now request time to reflect on this outcome.”

The Thomas family, reacting to the trial, said: “We can’t come to terms with what has happened. Jean leaves behind her husband of 52 years, three sons, a daughter, and seven grandchildren, and her loss has decimated our family.

“Her daughter, Dawn, who was a passenger in the car that day, suffered very serious injuries.

“She spent 7 weeks in hospital and had to be brought from her hospital bed for her mum’s funeral. She still faces numerous ongoing operations and has lost her sparkle.

“Grandson, Jo, who was only 10 at the time of the crash, has been left emotionally scarred.

“It has been particularly hard for another of the grandchildren, whose birthday was that day. She no longer celebrates her birthday because of the terrible reminder.

“Jean was a lovely bubbly person who loved everybody. She knew everyone in Mablethorpe and everyone knew her. She was the backbone of the family and losing her tore us to bits.

“We would like to thank the air ambulances from a number of counties for everything they did that day.”

Fifteen people accused of involvement in a £12 million fraud committed against a number of NHS Trusts and other public and private bodies appeared before Lincoln Magistrates Court on Friday, September 4.

The charges follow Operation Tarlac, a four year investigation by police in both Lincolnshire and Guernsey with assistance from NHS Protect, which was set up to counter fraud in the health service.

The alleged scam involved people contacting organisations masquerading as legitimate construction companies contracted by them.

The fraudsters allegedly claimed that their bank details had changed, and provided account numbers which instead belonged to companies owned or controlled by the defendants.

The scam, known as ‘divert fraud’, involved payments for construction works were being diverted to other accounts.

Police investigations began following a complaint from the Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust which provides mental health and learning disability services together with drug and alcohol treatment programmes.

A total of 12 frauds involving more than £12 million and seven attempted frauds involving a further £3 million are alleged to have been identified; mainly involving NHS Trusts but also involving two PLCs and a number of other public bodies, including the States of Guernsey.

Oluwatoyin Allison, 48, from London; Stephen Tyndale, 45, from Southwark, London; James Eman, 33, from Redditch, Worcs; Ali Akbar, 31, from Redditch; Arif Habib, 54, of Bearsden, Glasgow; Asif Habib, 51, of Dubai; Monica Thomson, 38, from Airdrie; Imtiaz Khoda, 42, from Dubai; and Kalpesh Patel, 43, from Dubai; are all accused of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to launder money between January 1, 2011 and July 31 2012.

They are alleged to have conspired, together with Bayo Awonorin and with others, to defraud public bodies and other organisations by dishonestly inducing or seeking to induce such bodies and/or organisations to divert monies due to be paid to companies holding construction contracts with the said public bodies and/or organisations, into bank accounts which were not in fact in the name of, or under the control of, the companies entitled to received such payments.

All nine together with Abdul Ghaffar, 66, from Redditch; Tariq Khan, 33, from Dubai; Zahid Muhammed, 46, from Glasgow; Yagnesh Patel, 44, from Staines, Middlesex, and Shazia Nisa, 33, face a further charge of conspiracy to launder money between January 1, 2011 and July 31, 2012.

They are alleged to have conspired with Bayo Awonorin, Walter Wagbatsoma, Zia Malak and others, to convert and/or transfer criminal property knowing or intending that the same property constituted or represented, in whole or in part-directly or indirectly, his own or another person’s benefit from criminal conduct.

A 15th defendant Oghogho Ehanire, 41, of Preston, is accused of money laundering between June 14, 2011 and December 31, 2011.

The defendants were all committed to Lincoln Crown Court where they will appear on September 18. They were all granted conditional bail.

A benefits cheat who pocketed £26,000 has been jailed at Lincoln Crown Court.

Sarah Bexley, 39, of Gaunt Street in Lincoln, claimed pension credit and other payments on behalf of her father without his knowledge and used the money to buy drugs.

Stephen Kemp, prosecuting, said Bexley dealt with her father Michael’s correspondence with the DWP because of his difficulties with reading and writing and she had access to his account after being given the PIN number.

Bexley legitimately became entitled to pension credit but in May 2009 obtained a job and instructed his daughter to end his claim.

But she ignored his request and instead she maintained the claim and due to having control of his account was able to withdraw cash without him knowing.

Mr Kemp said: “Any correspondence from the DWP was intercepted by his daughter when he was out at work and without his knowledge.”

Sarah Bexley ended the claim in June 2013 but later the DWP began an investigation after receiving information that Michael Bexley was working.

Mr Kemp said: “As a result of the information Mr Bexley was called in and interviewed under caution.

“During that interview he provided a witness statement to say that in February or March of 2009 he asked his daughter to write the letter and had no knowledge of any further payments being made.”

It was only then that Sarah Bexley was spoken to. She admitted the fraud saying she was “skint” at the time.

She also confessed to forging her father’s signature on a series of applications to obtain one-off Social Fund payments.

Bexley admitted dishonestly failing to provide information to the DWP between May 2009 and June 2013.

She also admitted five charges of making a false representation to obtain Social Fund payments. She was jailed for four months.

Recorder Graham Huston said: “I have to deal with you as an inherently dishonest woman who was prepared to breach the trust placed in you by your father.

“I would be failing my duty to the public if I was to do anything other than mark this offence with an immediate sentence of imprisonment.”

Sunil Khanna, defending, said Bexley began taking drugs as a way of dealing with family problems. Although she believed she had her habit under control she was left devastated by issues which affected her and she went back on heroin.

He said: “It came to the point where her habit had increased to £100 a day. At that time her father asked her to cancel his pension credit claim.

“She didn’t do so and the payments continued to be made. She accepts that she took that money to feed her drug addiction.”

A robber who staged an armed raid on a village post office has been jailed for six years.

Anton Stepniewski denied he carried out the raid on the outreach post office at Fiskerton, near Lincoln but a jury at Lincoln Crown Court took less than two hours to convict him at the end of a four week trial.

Judge Michael Heath told Stepniewski: “There was clearly a degree of planning. You knew the village of Fiskerton. This was a lone cashier in an outreach post office in a village hall. It was a soft target.

“Such people and such premises” must be protected as far as possible and therefore there must be an element of deterrence in the sentence I pass upon you.”

Stepniewski, 26, of Sturgate near Gainsborough, denied charges of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit robbery on February 10 this year. He was found guilty of both charges.

He did not give evidence to the jury during his trial but through his barrister claimed that the prosecution evidence was not conclusive. He suggested that the cashier could have faked the robbery to steal cash.

But in passing sentence Judge Heath described the cashier Joseph Stuffins as “a patently honest young man of considerable fortitude.”

The judge told Stepniewski: “I have to say that a singularly unattractive feature of your defence was an unpleasant attack on the character of Joseph Stuffins.

“On your behalf he was accused of faking or stage-managing a robbery. The first thing the jury had to decide was whether there had been a real robbery. Plainly they concluded there was.”

During the trial Mr Stuffins, 24, told the jury how he found himself facing a gun before the robber stole £2,700 cash from the till.

Mr Stuffins said he was initially facing away from the robber when the man entered the post office.

He told the jury: “When I turned round I saw a masked chap. He had managed to get the door open. I managed to jostle with him to get the door closed. At that point he pulled a gun.

“He was aiming the gun at me. It was at my chest as opposed to my head.”

Mr Stuffins said the man demanded money and he placed bank notes into a post office bag.

He added that the man then asked if there was any more money but moments later walked out with the bank notes.

“The gun looked to me to be either decommissioned or maybe fake. It looked like metal but it could have been plastic.”

David Allan, prosecuting, told the jury that Stepniewski was arrested the day after the robbery and initially told police he had not been near Fiskerton when the raid was carried out and said he was not involved.

But police inquiries revealed that the van he was using at the time was fitted with a tracker device which showed it had been in Fiskerton when the robbery was committed.

And a balaclava, a hat and a glove were found in a dog waste bin in Hall Lane, Fiskerton. Each of the three items contained Stepniewski’s DNA.

Mr Allan said: “Every time he heard new evidence that proved his previous account was lies he changed his account.”

Mr Allan said that Stepniewski parked his van in the village and then used a quad bike to make his way across fields to the rear of the post office.

Then, after carrying out the raid, Stepniewski drove away on the quad bike, loaded it into his van and made his way from the scene.

Two men have been jailed at Lincoln Crown Court following a number of burglaries in the city last year.

Jordan Sutherland, 18, and Daniel Westhead, 21, were sentenced on Friday September 18, after being found guilty of five burglaries between March 30 and April 17, 2014.

Sutherland, of Anders Drive in Bulwell, Nottingham, was sentenced to three years.

Westhead, of Moorland Avenue, Lincoln, was sentenced to three years two months.

A third man, Samuel Rhys Snell, 21, of Bell Grove in Lincoln, was sentenced to 15 months, suspended for 24 months.

He was also given a supervision order and an electronic curfew for four months.

The burglaries took place at addresses on Henley Street on March 31, Coleby Street on April 3 and Webb Street on April 14 and 15.

Two further burglaries were committed on Richardson Rise and Heapham Road in Gainsborough on April 15 and 16.

The three men were also convicted of a further charge of making off without payment from a BP station on Skellingthorpe Road on on April 4.

Inspector Suzanne Davies of Lincolnshire Police said: “I’m really pleased with the sentences today because it means that these men cannot target any more homes for a good period of time.

“Burglary is upsetting, invasive and inconvenient for victims. For offenders it may seem an ‘easy’ way to make some quick money but they would be wise to be reminded not only of these hefty sentences, but also of the very negative effect on victims.”