• A MAN was spared jail after being found guilty of assaulting a 14-year-old boy.

Bamidele Akinola, 50, of Cranston Avenue, Westcliff, kicked and punched the boy in Westcliff on October 14.

He denied the offence but was found guilty at Southend Magistrates’ Court.

Akinola was handed an eight week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

He was ordered to pay £620 costs and a £115 victim surcharge.

  • A MAN has been charged with drug dealing offences.

Timothy Knight, 34, is charged with possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin in Southend on March 10.

Knight, of Mullins Road, Braintree, entered not guilty pleas at Southend Magistrates’ Court.

He will appear at Basildon Crown Court on Monday, April 10.

  • A SHOEBURY man has been banned from getting behind the wheel after he admitted driving while over the prescribed alcohol limit.

Craig Cowan, 51, of Admirals Walk, appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court where he admitted drink-driving along Thorpe Esplanade on Saturday, November 5 last year.

The court heard that officers stopped the Mitsubishi L200 he was driving along the road and tested Cowan for the amount of alcohol in his system.

He was found to be more than twice the legal drink-drive limit.

Officers recorded that he had 76 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

The limit is 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

The court also heard that he had failed to stop at the scene of a crash, also in Thorpe Esplanade.

Cowan was fined £180, ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge and £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Magistrates also disqualified him from driving for 20 months.

For the offence of failing to stop, Cowan was not given a separate penalty but his driving licence was endorsed.

Anyone with information about people getting behind the wheel of a car after they have been drinking can call Essex Police on 101, or 999 if it is deemed to be an emergency.

Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.

  • A MAN has appeared in court charged with downloading images of child abuse.

Adam Caine, 33, of Park Terrace, Westcliff, is charged with making six category A images and 13 category C images.

Caine appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court and will appear at the court again on March 31.

  • MAGISTRATES fined a man £50 for sending a string of abusive text messages.

Robert Fuller, 47, of Whittingham Avenue, in Southend, sent the messages to a woman between Sunday, November 27 and Sunday, January 29.

He admitted the offence during an appearance at Southend Magistrates’ Court.

Fuller was also ordered to pay £40 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

  • A MAN has been charged with drug dealing offences in Southend.

Raheem Williams, 21, of Central Road, Morden in Surrey, is charged being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin on May 29.

He will appear at Basildon Crown Court on April 7.