A woman broke into her parents’ home through a first floor window on Saturday night (May 18) and stole £40 - breaching a restraining order in the process.

Nicola Coggin, who gave her address as care of Harrowby Close in Grantham, committed burglary at her parents’ home in Melbourne Road, Grantham, breaking in through the first floor bathroom window.

Daniel Pietryka, prosecuting, said: “They were in bed at the time the burglary took place.”

The court heard Coggin, 36, was already subject to a restraining order banning her from contacting her parents.

Mr Pietryka told the court Coggin was seen fleeing the scene of the crime by a witness.

Coggin, who was on bail for other matters at the time of the offence, refused to comment in her police interview but admitted the offence in court.

The case was adjourned until June 4.

Chair of magistrates said she was remanding Coggin, 36, in custody until that date “for fear of committing further offences”.

As Coggin was led away, she stuck two fingers up to a police officer who was sat at the back of the court.

A driver pulled over on the A1 at Colsterworth and did a line of drugs to “help him sleep”.

Samuel Davies of Glamis Villas, Chester-le-Street, was driving in the early hours of March 5 between Kent and the north-east when he decided to pull over for a rest.

Daniel Pietryka, prosecuting, said: “He grew tired and pulled over to sleep. “The next thing he remembers is a torch light in his face and the police speaking to him.”

Tests showed the presence of two variations of ketamine in Davis’ blood.

Stuart Wild, defending, said Davies bought the drugs in Canterbury before pulling over in a lay-by in Colsterworth to take them. He added that Davies was “remorseful” .

Davies was disqualified from driving for 12 months for being unfit to drive through the use of drugs.

A man accused of stealing a baby blue Volkswagen Beetle car and £9,800 in cash was remanded in custody.

Christian Barber, of no fixed address, is accused of two counts of theft from a Grantham woman and failing to abide by his bail conditions.

No application for bail was made. Barber, who has yet to enter a plea, will appear before Lincoln Crown Court on June 17.

A trial date was set after a Grantham man denied stealing a laptop worth more than £300.

Brian Docherty of Granville Street in Grantham is accused of taking the Acer laptop worth £349 belonging to Brighthouse in the Isaac Newton Centre. A trial will be held at Grantham Magistrates’ Court on July 3.

Class B drugs were found in the possession of a man at Grantham police station after he had been arrested for stealing a can of cider.

Lee Dwyer, of no fixed address, had on him two bags of a white powder which tests discovered to be methylethylcathinone, more commonly known as M-Cat.

Daniel Pietryka, prosecuting, said: “He told officers it was all his own personal drugs and for his own personal use.”

Dwyer, 31, also told officers he was not aware the drug was illegal.

Rob Arthur, defending, said M-Cat was only made illegal around 18 months ago having commonly been used as a plant fertiliser.

He added: “At the time he was homeless and he still is. He took it to help him sleep at night.

“When you are out on the street, it is not a pleasant place to be.”

Dwyer admitted possession of Class B drugs. He was fined £65 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £20 surcharge.

A man who spent fake money in Grantham stores narrowly avoided being sent to prison.

Kieran Marston of Harrowby Road in Grantham spent counterfeit £20 notes at four different stores within a 90-minute period on October 23 of last year.

Marston admitted using the forged currency at the Shell garage in Bridge End Road, Grantham, Hari Stores, also in Bridge End Road, Elite Fish and Chips of Grantham Road, Sleaford and Superdrug in Southgate, Sleaford.

Marston was caught still in possession of his fifth and final £20 note at the Spar shop in Grantham Road, Sleaford.

He admitted four charges of tendering counterfeit currency, one of being in custody of a counterfeit note and one of being in possession of cannabis.

Daniel Pietryka, prosecuting, said: “In interview he said he was approached by an unknown male in a pub who asked if he wanted to buy some £20 notes. He bought £100 worth for £50.”

Stuart Wild, defending, said: “He knew they were counterfeit but he had been drinking.

Having been warned by magistrates they were considering custody, Mr Wild said: “A prison sentence, in his words, absolutely petrifies him.”

Magistrates sentenced Marston to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months. He must also complete 150 hours’ work in the community and pay compensation of £80, as well as costs of £85 and an £80 surcharge.

A man who did not to appear before magistrates last week admitted failing to answer bail.

Karl Wright of Bala House, Barrowby Road, Grantham, is also charged with stealing meat from the Co-op in Princess Drive on two separate occasions. He has yet to enter a plea to either offence.

The case was adjourned until June 5 to allow the defence time to view CCTV of the alleged thefts.

Magistrates said that as Wright had spent 24 hours in custody he had served his sentence for not answering bail.

Wedding rings were stolen in a raid on a home in Long Bennington on Monday, one of two burglaries in the village on the same day.

The rings were taken from a property in Acklands Lane after the front door was forced open and an “extensive search” carried out.

In the second burglay, in Costa Row, a conservatory door was forced open and cash stolen.

Both burglaries were carried out between 6pm and 10pm.

The officer investigating is detective constable James Thompson of Grantham CID. He is appealing for anyone who saw anything suspicious at the relevant times or in the days leading up to the offences to get in touch.

He can be contacted by calling the force via the 101 non-emergency number and asking for extension 3236 or via e-mail at james.thompson@lincs.pnn.police.uk

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Police arrested a man who urinated in the street after he had already been warned by officers for taking off his shirt and acting aggressively.

Charles Smith of Kinoulton Court in Grantham admitted a public order offence following the incident in Grantham town centre in the early hours of April 5.

Daniel Pietryka, prosecuting, told the court Smith was seen on CCTV “acting in an aggressive and agitated manner”. He was seen to remove his shirt and throw it on the floor as he appeared to be in a disagreement with someone outside the Late Lounge in Grantham Market Place.

Smith, 28, was advised to leave the area by police officers. However, he only got as far as Westgate before officers witnessed him stop and begin urinating in the street, at which point he was arrested.

Smith, defending himself, said he had no comment to make on the incident.

Smith was fined £35 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a surcharge of £20.

A weapons technician was banned from driving after being pulled over by police on the A17 at Brant Broughton.

Matthew Muddiman, formerly of Leeds but now of RAF Marham, admitted drink-driving after he was found to be more than twice over the drink-drive limit.

Rory Macmillan, defending, said: “It would be an understatement to say he was shocked to find the reading was 82mg. By the time he was on the intoxilyser he had not drunk alcohol for 24 hours.”

Muddiman was fined £380 and must pay £85 costs. He was banned from driving for 18 months.

A fire and rescue crew from Grantham were called to Manor Drive in Great Gonerby last night.

They dealt with a quantity of garden furniture burning out of control. A crew also attended Hall Lane, Harrowby, but the fire was controlled burning of garden waste.

A teenager from the Cranwell area was seriously injured on Saturday evening when his scooter was in collision with a car.

The collision took place at 6.30pm on York Road at the junction with Lincoln Road, Sleaford. A gold Ford Focus driven by a 44-year-old local woman was in collision with a red Gilera scooter ridden by the 17-year-old youth.

The rider of the scooter sustained very serious leg injuries and was taken to Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, by air ambulance. He remains in the hospital in a stable condition awaiting surgery on his leg. The Focus driver was not injured.

The road was re-opened at 11:45pm.

Police are appealing for witnesses they know to be near the incident at the time. There was a red VW Golf and a silver Peugeot leaving the car park of Scoffers. Occupants of both cars had just been to the chip shop and police are appealing for these drivers to come forward.

Investigating officers are appealing for witnesses to the collision or who saw either vehicle prior to the crash to contact them via the Collision Witness Hotline on 01522 558855, quoting incident number 352 of May 25.

A tour promoting the London 2012 Games legacy has seen more Grantham schools pledge to follow the Olympic and Paralympic values.

Grantham-based sports charity Inspire+ is continuing its ‘Legacy Tour’ of schools in South Kesteven, a follow on from last year’s South Kesteven Cultural and Olympic Tour prior to the Games.

Sporting young ambassadors are visiting schools in the district to deliver a pledge book, in which staff and pupils will express how they plan to promote and encourage sport for all.

Isaac Newton Primary School is one of the 70 schools across the district taking part. Pippa Walker said: “We received the Legacy Log from Sandon School, which was inspirational in itself.

“The Inspire+ Legacy Tour has really helped keep the Olympic values (perseverance, excellence, courage, respect, equality, friendship and inspiration) fresh in the children’s minds.”

The tour started in Grantham in April and will finish on July 23, taking in all primary and secondary schools in South Kesteven. It will use the inspirational Paralympic Games, focusing on disability sports and emphasising sport for all, in a bid to support the London 2012 Games legacy aspiration to inspire a generation.

Each Inspire+ member school will get a free Boccia set plus the use of a bag of Paralympic equipment for the day to compete in games such as blind football, seated volleyball and guided running.

* Information: www.inspireplus.org.uk

Colourful kites will be soaring in the skies above Isaac Newton Primary School this week, all made by the fair hands of pupils.

Children in all classes were invited to make kites, some opting for colourful creations and others technical wonders. They went on to be judged in various categories, including best looking, highest flying and longest flying.

However, the heavy rain on Friday forced the postponement of flying until this week.

Headteacher Stephen Tapley said the youngsters enjoyed the challenge of building kites, from thinking about designs and colours to making them using various materials.

Grantham people have left flowers and heartfelt messages of condolence at Grantham’s St Peter’s Hill memorial over the weekend following the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby on the streets of London.

However the tributes and the memorial itself are being overshadowed by the council placing a large recycling bin within a couple of yards of the memorial.

Korea and Borneo veteran George Reeve led the campaign in the Journal to have the memorial in St Peter’s Hill built.

After being shown photographs of the bin in the shadow the memorial, Mr Reeve said: “It really is not on. I personally think it’s dreadful.

“It’s just awful and it needs moving. It’s not a small bin either. Surely they can just move it a few yards away.”

But George said he is pleased the memorial is being used by local people to show their support for Drummer Rigby.

He said: “I’m pleased we now have somewhere in the town centre where people can come to express their feelings.

“The wording of the memorial includes “or as a result of terrorist action” and this was a terrorist action. So I think the wording - which a lot of people helped me with including my friend Ian Newton - was just right.”

Mr Reeve said he was disgusted by the killing of Drummer Rigby on the streets of London.

He added: “I think it’s despicable, personally. What we have done is offer homes to people in trouble in their own home country, then they come here and their off-springs cause trouble.

“I don’t think the parents of these people do enough to instil how grateful they should be to this country that they live in a reasonably peaceful country that, by and large, has no racial bias.”

Sailing, kayaking and caving are just a few of the activities pupils of a Grantham school have been able to try as part of a team-building project.

Three groups of 10 pupils from West Grantham Academy St Hugh’s went on outdoor learning experiences at the Mount Batten Watersports Centre in Plymouth.

As well as an opportunity to gain skills in worksing as part of a team, the residemntial trips were also designed to build on students’ confidence in line with the school’s motto of ‘broadening horizons’.

Each group wrote about their trip. Here’s what they had to say:

* Mount Batten – Trip 1 – 18 March to 24 March 2013

Paula Coverley and Sara Martin wrote: “What a fantastic experience!

“Watching the girls try new things they had never experienced before was brilliant; they always had a smile on their faces and embraced every minute. They had the opportunity to try sailing, kayaking, power boating, caving, zumba, plankton fishing and much more.

“The girls came together and worked well as a team to help each other achieve their certificates.

“The cold weather and snow couldn’t stop these girls from taking part and jumping in the water. Caving was a favourite among the group, with the girls being able to crawl around and slide in the mud, as well as crawling in tight spaces through the cave.

“The girls were left speechless when told we were staying an extra day because of the bad weather, which meant we had the opportunity to go to Nando’s for a lovely meal with John and visit the Aquarium.

“The girls thanked us by giving us a beautiful performance of singing and dancing on our last night.”

* Mount Batten – Trip 2 – 29 April to 3 May 2013

Oliver Saunders and Pippa Rowley wrote: “In stark contrast to the arctic conditions experienced throughout March’s trip, as we departed St Hugh’s - at exactly 5:47 am - dawn rolled back the bed covers and brought with it the glorious sunshine we had not seen since sometime last year.

“Basking in April’s golden sunshine the students slapped on sun cream and squeezed themselves into wetsuits, coats, wellies, hats and buoyancy aids ready to hit the water to take part in a variety of activities. With a mixture of emotions, varying levels of comfort - and Imantas still searching for his wetsuit - the group experienced fantastic new activities as they went sailing, kayaking and power boating, earning Level 1 certificates in all three disciplines- with many of the students having successfully, and spontaneously, completed the ‘capsize drill’ when out sailing.

“From here on in our week was a non-stop mixture of fun, laughter, apprehension, freezing water and glorious sunshine. The week was not all splashing about in the water as through the activities the group formed new friendships, learnt invaluable lessons in team work, resilience and how, in pulling together, we can achieve a great deal.

“Furthermore, we also discovered that if any of us should captain an oil tanker then an international ecological disaster is a very real possibility, as even the shores of New York were not safe when one of our students was manning the helm of Plymouth University’s ‘ship simulator’!

“Did we mention the sunshine?

“Seeing students blossom in an environment they are not used to, with people from outside their friendship groups, was a fantastic spectacle to witness. The bravery, determination and warmth shown throughout the week by our students, not only to one another but also to the centre instructors, made it another fabulous week down in Mount Batten.”

* Mount Batten – Trip 3 – 13 to 17 May 2013

Pete Hesketh and Gillian Brady wrote: “From the moment we arrived, we knew we were about to have one of the best weeks of our lives!

“We began the week gaining the following qualifications:

• PaddlePower - two days of kayaking and canoeing…with lots of capsizing!

• RYA Junior Award - a day’s sailing trip in a ‘Hawk’ boat, and a day of sailing in our own boats

• Powerboat Level 1- learning how to safely drive a 50cc powerboat. This was topped off with an incredibly exciting trip on a power boat on our final night.

“As well as having great fun on the water, we also tried out lots of new activities on land: touring the National Marine Aquarium, working out with the fitness instructor, identifying marine life with the Marine Biology Association, spending time at Plymouth University learning how to plot on a chart (map of the sea), and using an incredible simulator to ‘drive’ the route - although somehow we ended up driving our boat to New York!

“Students were a credit to themselves, their families and the academy; they were praised at every opportunity for their excellent conduct and exemplary behaviour and even took the time to write individual thank you cards to each of their instructors on the final night.

“Thomas (7LBR) couldn’t believe he saw a “real life shark”, Annmarie (7AMI) said “this is the best week of my life” and Lewis (9GBR) asked if we could “please stay here forever”!”

Grantham Dramatic Society is preparing to take off with its latest production at the Guildhall - Marc Camoletti’s Boeing-Boeing.

The mile-high farce will be staged at the Guildhall Arts Centre, Grantham, from Wednesday to Saturday, June 5 to 8, at 7.30pm.

The town group, which has recently been nominated for awards from the National Operatic and Dramatic Association, will be one of the first groups to perform ‘Boeing-Boeing’. The show’s co-director, Jo Toomey, said: “We last produced a play by Marc Camoletti in 2007 – the farce ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’. It went down really well at the Guildhall so when this play recently became available we couldn’t resist!”

The play follows 1960s Parisian lothario Bernard who is proud to have three air hostess fiancées.

They never meet thanks to their various airline timetables, but bad weather and faster planes spoil Bernard’s careful planning. His long-lost friend Robert and housekeeper Bertha get roped in to help keep American Gloria, German Gretchen and Italian Gabriella apart.

The rest is full-on farce complete with slamming doors, mistaken kisses and sauerkraut...

Co-director Mark Brown said: “I saw this show last time it was playing in the West End, and it had me in stitches; the characters are so much fun. Being set in the sixties we had a lot to work on with the set and costumes, but it’s going to look great on the stage.”

Tickets for the Wednesday performance cost £8/£7 concessions and for the other performances £9/£8 concessions. There is a group discount of £1 off per ticket on eight or more full price tickets. To book call 01476 406158 or go to www.guildhallarts
centre.com

GDS have also produced a promotional video for Boeing-Boeing which can be viewed on the GDS website or via YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5rS3gC7jpc

Newton the Easter Bunny has presented Grantham charities with their share of the money he raised through travelling the streets of Grantham aboard a float.

Families dropped money in buckets, which was split between Grantham Foodbank, Grantham Deaf Children’s Society and equipment for pupils of Huntingtower Primary School.

Representatives were invited to a special assembly at the school to collect their cheques.

Parade organiser and parent of a pupil at Huntingtower Tess Sheehy said: “They were grateful and gave us all a small talk on how the money would be used to benefit others and assured us that the money would be kept for help within the community. As we are a community school that is, of course, what we want.

“Thank you to everyone involved for their tremendous hard work and effort, for the lovely letters of support in the Journal but most importantly to the kind and generous people of Grantham who made donations for these very worthwhile charities.

“Thank you very much and see you again next Easter.”

Pictures with Newton are Matt and Kim Sherwood from the Grantham Deaf Children’s Society, Brian Hanbury from Grantham Foodbank and Tess Sheehy.

With impressive views across the Witham valley and in an outstanding rural position, this barn conversion is likely to attract lots of interest from countryside lovers.

Skirbeck Barn, in Station Road, Barkston, is on the market for £425,000 with Grantham estate agents Winkworth.

The four-bedroom home has double glazed wooden windows, soft water system, wood laminate flooring to most downstairs rooms and television points in every room.

Access to the property is via a shared farm track. From the courtyard, the entrance hall has wood laminate flooring, recessed spot lighting and a pantry with shelving.

The kitchen/breakfast room has two windows which enjoy garden and far-reaching views, while a glazed door with side windows looks east towards Honington and Barkston. The room has a range of wall and base units, inset display cabinets, under unit lighting, granite work surfaces, tiled splashbacks, two stainless steel electric ovens, a central island unit which houses a five-ring ceramic hob with stainless steel chimney, extractor fan with light, integrated dishwasher, fridge and freezer. There is a boiler cupboard and the room has recessed spotlights, feature ceiling recess with lighting and under tile heating.

The master bedroom enjoys views to the east and south and a floor-to-ceiling screen overlooks the courtyard. There are two sets of double wardrobes, which incorporate hanging and storage space.

The south-facing lounge has glazed French doors leading to the garden, recessed spot lighting and a feature woodburner on a raised hearth which provides energy-efficient central heating to the first floor rooms.

Also facing south is the dining area, which has glazed French doors to the patio and garden and the reading room which has a door to the courtyard and French doors to the garden. From this room, stairs rise to the first floor landing.

The family bathroom has a feature spa Jacuzzi bath, double shower cubicle wash basin, toilet, chrome heated towel rail and under tile heating.

On the first floor there are three more bedrooms, one of which is currently being used as a study. That room has Velux roof windows facing north and south and has a west facing floor-to-ceiling glazed screen which provides extra light.

Another bedroom has Velux roof windows facing north and south and an en suite shower room which also has a wash basin and toilet. This room has access to the store room, which itself provides access to the attic.

The fourth bedroom is used as a visitors’ bedroom and has wood laminate flooring and an en suite shower room with wash basin and toilet.

The property occupies around half-an-acre and has three five-bar gates, providing seperate access to the rear garden, courtyard and the east side of the building. The south-facing courtyard is Tarmac and gravel with raised flowerbeds and a three-bay pantile-roofed open cart hovel, vehicle parking area and an additional garage-workshop.

The landscaped gardens comprise hawthorn hedging, pond, paved patio areas, lawn and vegetable plots.

Winkworth

4 Finkin Street, Grantham NG31 6QZ

Tel: 01476 578888

E-mail: grantham@winkworth.co.uk

I find Gerald Whysall’s actions, reported in last week’s issue of the Journal, inspiring.

You can find many who complain about the ‘state of Grantham’ yet do little to use their own time to make a change.

Visiting the town centre’s messiest locations, Mr Whysall took pictures and reported his findings to the council in a bid to simply improve the town’s reputation with visitors.

It’s a small step but it has knock-on effects. Clean Grantham up in an effort to get repeat visitors and the town as a whole will benefit.

It’s not just for the town’s tourists that these areas should be cleaned up however. Residents have to deal with the litter of inconsiderate businesses and other Granthamians every day and it shouldn’t be so. In order to clean up the town, we all need to be vigilant.

I’m very happy to hear from the South Kesteven District Council that they’ve taken Mr Whysall’s findings on board and have added one of his ‘grot spots’ on to the daily litter patrol. They also clarified that while they currently are not receiving many complaints about litter they will always investigate them.

As such it’s not only on us to be responsible for how we deal with our own rubbish, but also to make sure the council is aware of regularly dirty areas.

While the SKDC doesn’t have the powers to take on business premises being simply ‘untidy’ they will step in for rodents and extreme cases of rubbish in public areas.

My Whysall has taken a step in attempting to clear up the town and the council has taken note. It’s up to all of us to continue his good work and make Grantham an attractive place to visit and live.

* Now have YOUR say. Write in to us or e-mail: comment@granthamjournal.co.uk