A fundamental plank of English justice is that it should be seen to be done. Charlotte Moreau reports on changes to the courts system in Herefordshire that threaten that treasured principle THE peace of a spring evening was ripped apart for Jacky Herschy when she was told of the death of her sister in a car crash. Susan Thatcher, 67, had been travelling from her Shrewsbury home to her sister’s in Leominster’s Broad Street when her Octavia was hit by a BMW travelling in the opposite direction. Emergency services rushed to the scene on the A49 near Leominster, but Mrs Thatcher – a retired GP practice manager and dedicated Save the Children branch chair – was confirmed dead at the scene.
A MAN with an “extensive” criminal record has been told to pay compensation to a receptionist he threatened over the phone. Darren PJ Sutton was told by magistrates in Hereford to pay £100 to the victim, who was working on the reception desk at the probation service. On December 23, Hereford Magistrates Court heard how “agitated” Sutton, of Prospect Walk in Hereford, had phoned the probation service. Shafquat Reaz, prosecuting, said when the called was made on February 24, 2020, Sutton had asked to speak to certain members of staff but he was refused. He then made “certain threats” and demanded to know the receptionist’s name. When she refused, he said: “It’s you I’m coming after”.
Christian Bufton entered a guilty plea when he appeared before magistrates in Kidderminster on December 21. The court heard Bufton had been caught with a quantity of cannabis in Leominster on November 23. The 28-year-old was released on police bail, but then failed to surrender to custody at Hereford Magistrates Court on December 16. Bufton, of Godiva Road, Leominster, was fined £40 for possessing a class B drug and £40 for failing to appear on December 16. He must also pay costs of £135 and a £34 victim surcharge.