FROM elderly drink drivers to people damaging decorations, the court cases heard this week have been wide ranging.

Another week goes by and dozens of cases have come before the lower courts in south Essex.

The cases range from violence, harassment, destruction and petty thievery.

Here is a rundown of some of the cases heard in Southend and Basildon this week.

Zara White carried out criminal damage on Halloween decorations in Southend last year on October 30.

The 26-year-old of Hall Lane, Little Wakering, appeared at Southend Magistrates' Court where she admitted damaging the decorations, which were worth a total of £36.99.

The magistrates' bench chose to discharge White conditionally for six months and ordered she pay the full amount in compensation to the victim.

Oliver Brown was found in Southend in May 30 this year where a stop and search found 2.4 grams of cannabis on him.

The 29-year-old of Rectory Road, Hockley was later charged and appeared at Southend Magistrates Court where he admitted the offence.

The magistrates’ bench gave him a fine of £80.

The cannabis was ordered to be destroyed.

Andrew Hudson has been spared jail for harassing the woman in Leigh last year.

The 51-year-old of Ashes Road carried out his behaviour to cause serious alarm and distress to the victim on May 8, 2020.

Hudson was hurled before Basildon Magistrates' Court where he initially denied the allegations against him.

However, he was convicted by the magistrates' bench.

But, he was acquitted of another charge of driving without due care and attention.

The bench chose to deal with Hudson by giving him a fine of a whopping £900, and he must also pay a huge £620 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Connor Edwards has been fined for making threats to another man.

Edwards appeared at Southend Magistrates' Court where admitted using threatening or abusive words to put fear into his victim that violence would be used against him.

The 29-year-old of Burnside, Canvey carried out the threats on May 29 this year in Southend.

The magistrates' bench fined Edwards a total of £100, and he must also pay £105 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

William Darby has been banned from driving after being pulled over in the town on October 9 last year.

The 85-year-old man of Rayleigh Road, Leigh was stopped by suspicious officers on Southend Road when he was driving a Peugeot 107.

He was given a roadside breath test and found to have 57 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, which is over the legal limit.

Darby appeared before Southend Magistrates’ Court where he admitted the single count against him, having previously denied the charge.

The magistrates’ bench chose to give Darby a fine as a punishment for his crime.

He must pay a total of £155, along with £105 in prosecution costs, and a £34 victim surcharge.

Darby was also banned from driving for a total of 14 months and must take an extended test before being allowed on the roads again.

Ricky Peear has been spared jail after he was stopped in the town on May 31 this year in Walthams.

The 34-year-old of Walthams Place, Pitsea, was driving a Nissan Note and after a breath test by police, was found to have 72 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, which was over the limit.

At Basildon Magistrates’ Court, Peear admitted the offence and was fined £400 and disqualified from driving for 18 months.

Richard Turner, 30, of Pin Mill, Basildon, was stopped in the town on October 15 last year.

Turner was driving a Vauxhall Astra on Bells Hill and was pulled over by police and breathalysed.

He was found to have 344 micrograms of Benzoylecgonine in his system.

Turner admitted the offence and was sentenced at Basildon Magistrates’ Court.

He was given a community order until December 2022 with a mental health treatment requirement of 12 days and 80 hours of unpaid work.

A 15-year-old boy was stopped in Southend on April 22 this year in Swanage Road, where he was found to have the carving knife without permission.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court where he admitted the charge.

He was given a youth rehabilitation order where he must be under electrically monitored curfew for three months from 8pm to 7am.

He must also attend appointments regularly with a supervising officer.

Daniel Rastall stole hundreds of pounds in groceries has been spared jail.

Rastall, of Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff, appeared at Basildon Magistrates’ Court for sentence after being convicted of the thefts.

The first theft happened at a Tesco store in Southend on January 8 this year were he stole two bottles of wine worth £37.

Then at Wilkinson in Southend on February 16 this year, the 33-year-old stole groceries worth £173.

On the same day he also stole another £159 worth of groceries from the same store, and three days later he returned to steal a further £120 worth of items.

Rastall was given a community order until April 2022 where he must complete a drug treatment requirement for six months.

A 16-year-old boy appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court where he admitted harassing two men on April 23 in Southend.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted that he had intended to cause both men alarm and distress and used threatening and abusive words against them.

Magistrates discharged the boy conditionally for six months, meaning if he commits no further offence, it will be the end of the matter. He must also pay costs of £50 to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Lorraine Barr launched a violent attack on a police officer and damaged her earpiece.

Barr has been given a community order after the assault in Westcliff this year.

The 51-year-old of Chinchilla Road, Southend, was hurled before Southend Magistrates’ Court after she was arrested for the violence offences earlier this year.

The court heard that on May 31 this year in Westcliff, Barr was confronted by police officers when she lashed out on one female officer and struck her.

During the commotion where officers tried to restrain Barr, she caused damage to the officer’s earpiece while being reckless as to whether it was destroyed.

Barr was arrested and taken in for questioning before being charged with criminal damage and assault of an emergency worker.

She appeared at court where she admitted both charges.

The magistrates’ bench chose to give Barr a community order to last until June 2022.

This will include a mental health treatment requirement with 12 sessions under the guidance of a psychologist.

The sessions will be to help Barr develop “effective coping skills for managing strong feelings” and to increase her emotional strength.

The bench also ordered that Barr pay compensation to the police officer of £200 for the assault, and a further £50 for the damage to the earpiece.