Mother guilty of stealing back 'present' from son's ex partner

October 26, 2015, 6:35 am

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A MOTHER has been cleared of burgling the flat of her son's estranged partner but found guilty of stripping it of appliances and carpets.Kerstan Clapp has been ordered to have no contact with victim Rosie Jeffs after she was also found guilty of causing criminal damage to the flat in Tiverton. The carpets were ripped up and a hole was punched in a kitchen cabinet.Clapp claimed she was entitled to retrieve items which she had given to her son Harley Wilkinson and Miss Jeffs before they split up...

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Builder strangled wife during argument about their divorce

October 26, 2015, 7:36 am

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A BUILDER strangled his estranged wife during a violent argument about their divorce and hid her body among a pile of rubbish in a cupboard.James McDonald wrapped his wife Sophie's body in a duvet and layers on bin bags so it would blend in with other trash in a communal store room at the flats where he lived.The self employed maintenance man then took part in a charade in which he pretended to his family and the police that Sophie was missing and he was trying to find her.He sent a text to her...

Mother allegedly sexually assaulted after smoking 'Blue Cheese'...

October 27, 2015, 7:31 am

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A MOTHER has told how she was sexually assaulted in a Mastermind-type chair after being stupefied by a legal high joint.Jason Jones allegedly grabbed at the woman's thong with so much force as he put his hands up her skirt that it tore in half.She told Exeter Crown Court she was disorientated by smoking a legal high called Blue Cheese but remembers saying "no, no, no" throughout the ordeal.Jones, 47, of Camperdown Terrace, Exmouth, denies sexual assault by penetration.Greg Richardson,...

Legal high shop owner fought off knife attacker trying to steal...

October 27, 2015, 7:35 am

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THE owner of a legal high shop has told a jury how he fought off a knife wielding attacker who tried to seize his takings.Granville Preston was driving home from his DamGood Head shop in Plymouth when he was allegedly assaulted by former schoolfriend Mark Luke to whom he was delivering mind altering powders.Former soldier Mr Preston told Exeter Crown Court how he used his training in unarmed combat to grab the flat edge of the seven in kitchen knife as it was held to his throat.Luke allegedly...

Mother killed by her estranged husband said she felt 'wobbly'...

October 27, 2015, 8:10 am

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A YOUNG mother was killed by her estranged husband just minutes after telling her mother she felt "wobbly" about having a face to face meeting with him.Sophie McDonald was strangled after going to her husband James's flat to finalise divorce arrangements to end their troubled marriage.Maintenance company boss McDonald killed his wife with an electric flex during an argument in which he said she threatened to stop him seeing their three children.She was attacked after going to his flat...

Husband who strangled wife and hid body in rubbish laughed at...

October 28, 2015, 6:44 am

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A HUSBAND who strangled his wife and hid her body in a rubbish store laughed with police when they asked him if he thought she had been abducted.James McDonald gave officers the impression of doing all he could to help them find his missing wife even though he knew her body was in a store room at his flat just yards away.McDonald was interviewed by detectives in a police car outside his flat just hours after he killed his 36-year-old wife Sophie during an argument about divorce arrangements.He...

Drunken computer user downloaded child abuse images

November 7, 2015, 3:37 am

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A COMPUTER user has been ordered to receive help from the probation service after he accessed "depraved" images of children during drunken late night browsing sessions.David Williams claimed he could not remember downloaded a movie and still images which showed the worst type of child abuse while using the internet on his own.The unemployed man was said to have been isolated and depressed at the time when he moved from watching adult online porn to downloading child images.Williams,...

Man admits assault on The Factory bouncer

November 7, 2015, 4:16 am

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A BARNSTAPLE man has admitted assaulting a bouncer at The Factory music venue, but denies causing serious injuries to the victim.Charlie O'Conner, 21, of Sunflower Road, Barnstaple, appeared at North Devon Magistrates' Court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to one charge of assault.However, a Newton hearing will take place on January 11 to establish the facts of the case after the defence disputed the nature of the attack, and the level of injuries caused.

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Ilfracombe woman charged with assault

November 7, 2015, 4:18 am

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AN Ilfracombe woman has denied carrying out two assaults in the town.Jade Robinson, 21, of Princess Avenue, appeared at North Devon Magistrates' Court on Friday where she denied assaulting Mandy Meredith and Katie Cunningham on June 28. She also pleaded not guilty to one charge of causing criminal damage.The case was adjourned until January 18 when a trial will take place.

Thief who betrayed good Samaritan spared jail

November 8, 2015, 12:15 am

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A THIEF who betrayed a good Samaritan by breaking into his business twice to steal money from him has narrowly avoided prison.Stephen Matthews was spared an immediate jail sentence when he appeared at North Devon Magistrates' Court on Friday.It came after he pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, one count of possessing a controlled drug and one charge of harassment. He also admitted breaching a previous conditional discharge.The offences of burglary and harassment related to Matthew Roberts,...

Mobile hairdresser banned from driving after nearly causing car...

November 8, 2015, 12:18 am

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A BIDEFORD woman has been banned from driving after nearly crashing into a police car while on her mobile phone.Victoria Stark, 34, of Cooper Street, Bideford, pleaded guilty to three charges when she appeared at North Devon Magistrates' Court on Friday. These were driving without due care and attention, using a mobile phone while driving and driving without insurance.Lyndsey Baker, for the prosecution, told the court that on June 5 a police officer had been driving on Clovelly Road in Bideford...

Drug debt led man to attempt car break-ins

November 8, 2015, 12:20 am

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A DRUG user who turned to his addiction following the death of a family member has admitted attempting to break into vehicles to fund his habit.George Gill, of Buttgarden Street, Bideford, pleaded guilty to being equipped for theft after he was arrested while possessing a screwdriver, gloves and a torch on October 10.Lyndsey Baker, for the prosecution, told North Devon Magistrates' Court that during the evening police had received numerous reports of a man attempting to open car doors near...

Abuse hurled at Ilfracombe police after window smash

November 8, 2015, 12:24 am

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GLASS and verbal abuse rained down on shoppers from a flat in Ilfracombe High Street following an argument, a court has heard.Sarah Deves, 20, of High Street, Ilfracombe, admitted using threatening words or behaviour during a hearing at North Devon Magistrates' Court on Friday.It came after an argument between two friends saw a window in her home smash, causing glass to fall onto the pavement below.Lyndsey Baker, for the prosecution, said when police arrived at the scene they saw Deves...

Attempts to regain mother's inheritance lands man in court

November 8, 2015, 12:56 am

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A BRAUNTON man was left in tears after magistrates ordered him to pay more than £600 to the court for harassing his former partner.The offence was committed as Stephen Howes, 54, of The Fairway, attempted to recover £3,000 which he loaned to her using his mother's inheritance, North Devon Magistrates' Court was told.Lyndsey Baker, for the prosecution, said the couple had been in a relationship for approximately six years before separating in October 2013.Although they remained in...

Bottle attack could land Barnstaple man in jail

November 8, 2015, 10:56 pm

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MAGISTRATES could send a Barnstaple man to jail after he assaulted a friend's father by striking him over the head with a bottle of alcohol.Jesse Kent, 22, of Lethaby Road, Barnstaple, pleaded guilty to one count of assault when he appeared at North Devon magistrates' Court on Friday. He also admitted causing criminal damage during the incident.Lyndsey Baker, for the prosecution, told the court that on July 29 Kent had return to the home of a woman who he had met while out drinking.However,...

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Barnstaple defendant self-harmed after assaulting partner

November 8, 2015, 10:59 pm

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A DEFENDANT self-harmed as a result of the guilt he felt after accidently assaulting his partner, a court has heard.Reece Meakin, 24, of Silver Street, Barnstaple, admitted one charge of assault during a hearing at North Devon Magistrates' Court on Friday.Lyndsey Baker, for the prosecution, told the court that the incident occurred after Meakin and his partner at the time had returned to his flat following a night of drinking.After an argument ensued between the pair, Meakin pushed the victim...

Teenager convicted of rape and sexual abuse has sentence reduced

November 9, 2015, 7:10 am

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A TEENAGER who raped one girl and sexually abused another has had his custodial sentence reduced by a year.Kyle Taylor, 19, was sent to a young offender's institution for a total of 44 months after pleading guilty to four offences.However, he has been brought back to court after Judge Paul Darlow reviewed his sentence.The mothers of both victims sitting at the back and heard him say he had thought "long and hard" about the case.Judge Darlow said he had not given sufficient weight to...

Former Bideford racehorse trainer jailed for possessing two live...

November 9, 2015, 7:27 am

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A former racehorse trainer has been jailed after police found two live bullets in his desk drawer.Joseph Birch was found with the ammunition when officers searched the stud farm which he ran with his wife Grit in North Devon in September 2013.He claimed someone else had put the bullets in the top drawer before it was moved into his office but was jailed after a Judge heard that recent travel documents in his name were found beneath one of them.Birch, 62, of Horns Cross, Bideford, admitted two...

Blackmail and sexual assault charge for 25-year-old woman

November 10, 2015, 3:46 am

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A 25-YEAR-OLD has been accused of blackmail and sexually assaulting a man.Gemma Pinkerton pleaded not guilty to demanding money with menaces and indecently touching the man on July 28.Pinkerton, of no fixed abode, denied the charges when she appeared at Plymouth Crown Court via videolink from prison.Judge Paul Darlow set down a trial, to last two days, starting on January 5 next year.He made various orders for the service of case papers and remanded Pinkerton in custody until that hearing.

BECKY WATTS MURDER TRIAL: 21 questions the jury will have to...

November 11, 2015, 1:54 am

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Have you been following the murder trial of Becky Watts? Here are 21 questions the jury in the case will have to answer - and the various outcomes of those answers.Conspiracy to kidnap - Matthews and Hoare1) Are you sure both Matthews and Hoare agreed that they should kidnap Ms Watts and each intended to play some part in it?If yes: Guilty of conspiracy to kidnapIf no: Not guilty of conspiracy to kidnapMurder – Matthews2) Are you sure that Matthews unlawfully killed Miss Watts?Admitted...