South Tyneside man remanded in custody after CCTV caught him breaching bail conditions
A South Tyneside man has been remanded into custody after CCTV evidence proved he had breached his bail conditions by being with his on-off Italian girlfriend.
Peter Carr, 61, was caught on a security lens as he walked in company with her and a friend outside South Shields town hall on Monday, June 10.
Carr, of Gresford Street, Tyne Dock, is prohibited from any contact with his partner under the terms of his police bail as he awaits sentence on an assault charge.
At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, District Judge Zoe Passfield viewed approximately three minutes of colour footage – and ruled Carr had erred.
She admitted he could be seen attempting to walk away from his partner while she appeared to constantly harass him as he strolled towards Fowler Street.
But the judge said Carr had backtracked on his initial reaction to turn in the opposite direction and had voluntarily rejoined the group, breaching his bail by doing so.
Judge Passfield remanded him into custody after also hearing he had also twice failed to engage with the Probation Service to help their efforts to compile a pre-sentence report into his offending.
His failure to do so had left the court at a disadvantage in sentencing Carr on Thursday, June 25.
At an earlier hearing, he pleaded guilty to a charge of assault by beating – leading to bail conditions being imposed.
Of his bail breach, prosecutor John Garside said Carr had provided a pre-prepared statement to police after his arrest in which he claimed his partner had approached him and had been drunk.
Carr insisted she would not leave him alone and had repeatedly shoved him - and he had walked away.
Mr Garside also said a statement from police revealed they had arrested Carr minutes later on suspicion of breaching his bail when he arrived at South Shields’ transport interchange.
Geoffrey Forrester, defending, suggested a suitable way forward was to remand Carr and order him to work with Probation on the pre-sentence report.
Judge Passfield told Carr he was being remanded because of the bail breach and to compile the report.
He will appear at the same court via video link for sentencing on Tuesday, June 25.