HERE is a round-up of the biggest court cases that have taken place this month from the Cirencester area. 

A woman pleaded guilty to concealing the birth of a child and disposing of its body in an illegal abortion case, a drink-driver was jailed for fleeing a crash scene and a hotel manager who stole more than £11,000 from her employers was sentenced.

Illegal abortion case

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: Elliot Benham (second left under umbrella) and Sophie Harvey (second right under umbrella) leaving Cheltenham Magistrates Court after a hearing in January Elliot Benham (second left under umbrella) and Sophie Harvey (second right under umbrella) leaving Cheltenham Magistrates Court after a hearing in January (Image: PA Media)

A 24-year-old woman from Cirencester has admitted concealing the birth of a child and disposing of its body.

Sophie Harvey, of St Mary's Road, Cirencester, pleaded guilty to the concealment of the birth of a child and disposal of the baby's body between September 22 and December 1, 2018 at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday, September 8.

At the same hearing Elliot Benham, aged 24, of Wingfield, Kingsdown, Swindon, pleaded guilty to procuring a poison to intentionally cause a miscarriage to Harvey between September 1 and September 18 in 2018.

The solicitors representing Harvey and Benham have accepted that despite the guilty pleas a jury trial is still required to resolve all the charges on the indictment.

Judge Ian Lawrie KC adjourned the hearing pending a trial on Monday, November 20.

Read the full story: Cirencester woman admits disposing of baby's body

Drink-driver jailed for fleeing crash

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: Chloe Thynne Chloe Thynne  (Image: Wiltshire Police)

A woman has been jailed after causing a two-vehicle crash which left the occupants of the other vehicle with serious injuries and then fleeing the scene.

Drink-driver Chloe Thynne, aged 38, of Old Vicarage Lane, Kemble, was sentenced to four years and four months imprisonment at Swindon Crown Court.

She will serve half the term in prison and the other half on licence and was banned from driving for six years.

Thynne was driving her Audi Q5 from a pub in Corston near Malmesbury northbound on the A429 when she crossed over the central white line, colliding with a Nissan Micra travelling in the opposite direction at around 9pm on October 15, 2021.

Read full story: Woman jailed after crashing into teen and fleeing scene

Fraudster 

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: Lilian ChambersLilian Chambers (Image: Glos News Agency)

A hotel manager who stole more than £11,000 from her employers over a four year period has been ordered to repay the full amount.

Magistrates in Cheltenham decided not to impose any other penalty than a compensation order on Lilian Chambers, aged 60, who pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud and two of theft from the Greene King pub and hotel chain.

The court chairman, Simon Pitt, told Chambers, of Thrupp Lane, Stroud, that the bench was not punishing her in any other way because until she offended she had always been an 'upstanding citizen'.

Chambers - who ran the 16th century pub and hotel in Kingscote, Tetbury, for Greene King - admitted that between July 1, 2013 and November 30, 2017 she committed two offences of fraud by false representation against her employers by giving her personal bank account details to a corporate customer rather than the company's details.

She also admitted two charges of theft of the same sum of money between the same dates.

Read full story: Former Greene King hotel manager must repay stolen money

Jeweller admits assaulting wife 

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: Patrick HillPatrick Hill (Image: Glos Police)
A jeweller has admitted to assaulting and strangling his wife after she challenged him about whether he was paying for prostitutes and escorts in court.

Patrick Hill, aged 54, Hill admitted assaulting his wife causing actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation of her, possessing a knife in public and driving with excess alcohol on his breath at Gloucester Crown Court on Monday, September 4.

The judge sentenced Hill to a two year community order with programme and activity requirements, banned him from driving for 18 months and fined him £750. 

Hill had been drinking heavily at home near Bourton-on-the-Water on Saturday, August 5 before he showed his wife details of payments made from his bank account to two people for £400 and £600, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Nadeem Aullybocus. "She was upset about this.

"She was already aware he had been sending messages to women as well as payments to them. 

Read full story: Jeweller admits strangling and assaulting his wife

Lout harasses hospital patient and staff 

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: Julian Abbott Julian Abbott (Image: Glos Police)

An Anti-Social Behaviour Order has been imposed on a man who harassed patients and staff at a hospital.

Julian Abbott, aged 45, has been involved in a number of threatening and violent incidents at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

Abbott, of Gloucester, has also been charged with street drinking and public order offences in the past, as well as using violence against security officers in Gloucester Quays and police officers.

The case was brought against Abbott by Solace, a joint team of officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary, Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucester City Council.

The injunction imposed forbids Abbott from:

  • Engaging in conduct which causes or is capable of causing alarm or harassment or distress to any person within Gloucester
  • Using or threatening to use violence towards any person within Gloucester
  • Using or threatening to use violence against any member of NHS staff
  • Using or threatening to use violence against any emergency worker

Read full story: Court imposes order on lout who harasses hospital patients and staff