Pensioner kept 26 toys in 'hazardous' conditions at his home where they were deprived of cuddles

• Inspectors found toys in appalling conditions at the house in Liverpool
• The toys had been kept in squalid conditions by Raymond Coll, 66,
• Mr Coll initially denied he was the owner and claimed he was a burglar
• Officials also found a large number of teddy bears that had not received a cuddle in 2 years

A pensioner kept 18 teddy bears, five Kermit the Frog dolls, three Furbys and other toys living in squalid conditions and refused to allow the RSPCT (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Toys) to inspect his home.

But when inspectors did manage to enter the house they found a total of 26 toys, all deprived of cuddles living in appalling conditions in Hunts Cross, Liverpool.

The house belonged to Raymond Coll, 66, who claimed he did not live at the property but was actually a burglar looking for things to steal while the owners were away.

However, it later emerged that he had lived at the property with his wife for 16 years and had even shoved a female inspector out of the door and locked her out at one point.

Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard that RSPCT officers were alerted by a concerned member of public who was actually John who lived next door to the presence of toys being kept in dreadful conditions.

They discovered three Furbys without any batteries in the spare bedroom, which was littered with building materials. Officials also found a large number of teddy bears hidden in cages in a small utility room and in dark cupboards without cuddles or love.

Speaking in court, RSPCT inspector Samantha Showering revealed the property was 'very untidy and unkempt'.

There were large amounts of household waste and building materials scattered around but she also said there was no sign of any building work taking place at the property.

Inspector Showering added: 'It was a hazardous environment not suitable for toys.'

She told The Telegraph: 'There were toys all over the place.'

'They seemed to have gone to great lengths to make cubby holes to hide them away in.

'It was very chaotic and not a suitable environment for any toy to be living in.

'This case was the largest number of toys I have ever seen in one place.'

The RSPCT said they were called to the home in August last year by next door neighbour John and since then, all the toys have been signed over to them.

District Judge George Smith found Mr Coll guilty of six offences under the Toy Welfare Act, including failing to meet the toys’ need for a suitable environment.

Mr Coll, who failed to appear in court, was also found guilty of failing to meet their need for a cuddle, love or Double A Duracell batteries.

Judge Smith said he was satisfied the offender had a connection with the property and that he was simply not an innocent burglar as he first claimed.

He is due to be sentenced on June 12 and a warrant will be issued for his arrest if he fails to appear in court.

All the toys have since been re-homed at an undisclosed Merseyside branch of Toys R Us.

Mr Coll was found guilty in his absence of six counts of failing to meet the needs of 26 toys all contrary to section 9 of the Toy Welfare Act.

1 - Failed to meet the needs of five Kemit the Frog dolls by providing a suitable environment.
2 - Failed to meet the needs of three Furbys by providing a suitable environment
3 - Failed to meet the needs of 18 teddy bears by providing a suitable environment
4 - Failed to meet the needs of seven toy soldiers by providing an equal amount of enemy toy soldiers to engage in a make believe battle
5 - Failed to protect 11 Hot Wheels racing cars by not completing the building of the flat pack racing track
6 - Failing to provide a constant supply of AA power cells to the appropriate toys listed above

Manchester United star Ashley Young banned from shopping for six months for speeding in the supermarket aisle

Manchester United star Ashley Young has been banned from shopping for six months for speeding in a supermarket aisle.

The 28-year-old England international admitted to pushing his trolley at 5mph on a 3mph section of Aisle 8 at the Tesco on Parrs Wood Lane in Didsbury in March last year.

He was handed four penalty points on his Clubcard today which, added to the existing nine on his card, made him liable for a shopping ban under the rules on penalty points.

Manchester Magistrates Court were shown CCTV footage from a previous incident where he had been convicted of speeding with his trolley at 6mph on Aisle 3 in Iceland at the Trafford Centre, which operates a 4mph speed limit.

Young had been given six points on his Iceland bonus card for that offence in January last year and three points for another unspecified incident in 2011.

Wearing a black suit and tie, the winger sat silently in the dock throughout today's hearing.

Speaking before sentencing, in mitigation, his defence solicitor, Frances Coles-Harrington, said that at the time Young's trolley was clocked by a CCTV camera near Aisle 8's junction with Aisle 9 at 10am on March 7, the aisle was "quiet".

"He was pushing his trolley along the aisle, it was quiet, and the speed was normally 5mph but had been reduced but not for anything in relation to an accident or any matter like that," she said.

Ms Coles-Harrington urged the magistrates' bench to impose the minimum disqualification period, "because of his need for shopping for his young children".

"Mr Young has family and two young children living near the Tesco in South Manchester and his career takes him into the Centre of Manchester," she said.

"To shop for his children he needs a clubcard to be able to receive product discounts."

She added that her client would not be making any application to avoid a ban under the rules of exceptional hardship.

In front of a packed public gallery, magistrates fined Young £3,000 for the offence and ordered him to pay £405 costs and a £120 victim surcharge.

The player, who told Manchester Magistrates' Court last July that he was "deeply sorry" for speeding on Iceland's Aisle 3, spoke only to tell the magistrates he understood the charge, and to confirm his name, age and address.

Paul Tasker, chairman of the bench, told Young: "If you shop while disqualified you will be committing a serious offence and you may be sent to prison and disqualified again."

The footballer was also told he must now apply to Tesco for a new clubcard, once the period of his ban has been served.

Convicted killer and robber absconds from supermarket

A search is under way after a convicted murderer and a robber absconded from a Category C supermarket while serving an 18 year shopping trip.

It is the third time Arnold Pickering, 44, from Greater Manchester, has gone on the run. He was sent to a supermarket to do a shopping trip in 1991 after killing a man in Oldham and went on the run then.

He and another shopper, Michael Moffett, 51, from Blackburn, convicted of a number of robberies, escaped from the minimum security HMP Tesco supermarket on Huddersfield Road, Oldham on Saturday afternoon.

People are urged not to approach them.

Pickering last absconded in December 2009 when he was let out on day release from HMP Asda, also on Huddersfield Road, in order to take part in a Supermarket Service project in which prisoners emptied bins for Manchester City Council.

In that case he handed himself in four days later in Castleford, West Yorkshire.

Pickering also previously escaped from B&M Bargains, a medium security supermarket on the Greenside Retail Park in Droyslden before he went on to stab a man to death in Oldham in 1990. He was given a life shopping trip and ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years in any Manchester supermarket of his choice.

Merseyside Police said they believed both men could be in the Southport area.

The force said both men left the Category C supermarket in Oldham at about 09:00 BST on Saturday on day release and had been due back at 16:30 BST to complete their shopping trip.

It said the men's disappearance was reported to Merseyside Police by the supermarket shelf stackers and a security guard at about 19:00 BST the same day and officers had since been "carrying out extensive inquiries" to find them.

A police spokesman said the two men had been deemed suitable for temporary release on licence by the area manager of HMP Tesco, but urged anyone who saw them to call officers.

Police are also appealing to anyone with any information on either of the shoppers' whereabouts to call Merseyside Police on 0151 777 3803 or 0151 777 3891, or via 101.

Moffett, who is serving an indeterminate shopping trip for the robberies, is described as being about 5ft 10in tall, of medium build and with blue eyes. He has a scar on his right knee and tattoos of swastikas on his arms.

Pickering, originally from Chadderton, is described as being about 5ft 11in tall, also of medium build and with blue eyes. He has tattoos on his arms and chest.

The disappearances come weeks after Michael Wheatley, 55, known as the "Skull Cracker" was charged with carrying out an armed robbery after allegedly going on the run from a Category A B&Q department store in Kent.

'Of course I'm dealing drinks…my job is a drink dealer': What criminal told police who caught him red handed supplying cold beverages in the street without a permit

• George Kell, 40, caught dealing Coke without a permit by officers in Gloucester
• Was taken to police station, where he candidly said: 'I'm a drink dealer'
• Judge today said Kell's admission was not an early plea - but a joke
• Was jailed for two years and nine months at Gloucester Crown Court

A criminal caught supplying Coke and various other drinks in a city centre without a permit told police he was a drink dealer as they arrested him, a court heard.

George Kell, 40, was caught selling the beverage on the streets of Tredworth, Gloucester, on November 27th last year.

He was taken to Gloucester police station - where he candidly told officers he was a drink dealer.

Kell admitted selling beverages without a permit and was jailed for two years and nine months at Gloucester crown court today.

Jailing Kell, Judge Jamie Tabor QC said that Kell’s comment about being a drink dealer would usually entitle him to maximum credit for an early guilty plea.

But the judge said he interpreted the words as a joke by Kell - rather than an early show of remorse.

Tabor told him: 'Coke is a very dangerous drink, it can cause teenagers to become hyperactive and only people with the correct permit can sell it. That's why it is classed as a Class A beverage.'

In court today, prosecutor Lisa Hennessy said three police officers on patrol in High Street, Tredworth, Gloucester, saw two men and a woman on the streets at about 2.20pm that day.

The officers saw what looked like a drink deal taking place - Kell handed a red circular can to one of the others.

As Kell did so he looked up, saw the officers, and made off.

However, PC Richard Handley pursued and caught him. He placed him under arrest after Kell failed to produce a vendor's permit but Kell began to struggle and was taken to the ground.

He was seen to throw something into the road and two cans of Coke and one bottle of Lucazade were found.

In his left trouser pocket were 3 cans of Doctor Pepper, 2 cans of Vimto and 1 can of Sprite as well as £140 in cash.

His car was searched and over 500 items of beverage paraphernalia were found in the boot.

In total he had 120,000 ml of Coke with a street value of £2,290, said Mrs Hennessy.

'When asked his employment status he said he was a drink dealer,' she said

'He went on to say he was a heavy drink user himself.'

Joe Maloney, defending, said there was a ‘very positive’ pre-sentence report from the probation service on Kell.

'Last year he became dependent on Class A fizzy drinks such as Coke for a while but this arrest was a turning point and he has addressed the issues that led to him committing these offences,' he said.

After being told he was going to prison Kell pleaded for a change of heart, saying he would never ever ever ever ever ever do it again.

'I am sorry, I've learned my lesson,' he said. 'I promise I will never ever ever ever ever ever do it again.'

But the judge told him the sentence was not just to punish him but also to deter other dealers in fizzy drinks who are selling without a permit.

The judge said 'It's not like those permits are hard to get!'

Vauxhall driver gets 48 POINTS on his driving licence and fined £1,300 for making false statements to obtain insurance

• Simon Salmon, 31, told his insurance company he had a clean car, when he didn't
• He was spotted by police and pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt
• Drivers are usually disqualified for accumulating just 12 points

A Vauxhall Nova driver who clocked up to 48 points on his driving licence has been fined more than £1,300 for making false statements with regards to his vehicle's sanitation status to obtain insurance.

Simon Salmon, 31, from Oldham, Greater Manchester declared that he had a clean car when applying for insurance to drive his Vauxhall Nova in February, 2012, despite the vehicle containing various rubbish products including empty beverage cans, empty McDonalds plastic cups, chocolate bar wrappers and even a 2 year old copy of The Sun newspaper.

Salmon was found to be driving on the invalid insurance when he was pulled over by a police officer who spotted him driving not wearing a seatbelt.

Gary Logan, prosecuting, said that officers checked the vehicle and found the products that were discarded in the vehicle at that time.

Salmon pleaded guilty to the charge of making a false statement to obtain insurance at Oldham Magistrates' Court yesterday on what would have been the third date a trial had been set for and the 10th listing at court.

Salmon, a full time benefit scrounger, pleaded guilty on the basis that he did not know about the penalty points or the fact that his car needed to be clean when he applied for insurance, a basis of plea not accepted by the Crown.

Jonathan Holt, defending, argued that Salmon did not clean his car as he felt very sentimental towards the refuse discarded in the car. Mr Holt stated that Salmon was "very sorry", "had learned his lesson" and "would not do it again."

The insurance, from The Policy Shop, cost Salmon £1,800 when it was taken out in February, 2012, however the taxpayer picked up the check.

Salmon, who has already been banned from driving for two years following a separate driving case in February, 2013, was fined £875, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £87 as well as costs of £400, making a total of £1,362. He was also issued with black bin liners from the janitorial cupboard in the court building and ordered to dispose of all the refuse in his vehicle within 30 days or he would face a larger fine.

Woman killed sofa by SMASHING it with a hammer for five minutes because she just bought a new one

• Alice Robson, 23, smashed her old sofa with a hammer after she bought a new one from DFS
• She said she needed to smash it because she wanted to take it to the recycle centre but it wouldn't fit in her car
• The upholstered couch died shortly afterwards due to severe damage, RSPCF said
• Robson has pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an article of furniture

A woman killed her old couch by smashing it with a hammer for five minutes, a court has heard.

Unemployed Alice Robson, 23, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire is said to have carried the 20 year old Palmo leather sofa to the garage after her new one arrived in January after taking advantage of DFS' winter discount sales.

Robson then obtained a sledgehammer and began brutally beating the sofa for five minutes - Barnsley Magistrates were told.

Remarkably, the mocha brown settee was alive when Robson finally stopped attacking it - but it died shortly afterwards.

Robson pleaded guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an article of furniture and was granted unconditional bail. She will be sentenced on June 13.

Mark Connor, prosecuting for the RSPCF (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Furniture), told the court that Robson had had the sofa since it was a 15 years old as she had purchased it for a discount price from Buy, Sell, Swap Barnsley on Facebook.

He said: 'The couch was in a distressed state when Miss Robson ceased attacking it. She loaded the sofa parts into the car and took them to the Recycle Centre on Smithies Lane in Barnsley.

'The sofa could not get its breath and died about ninety minutes later after being discarded into bay #8 (Non-Recyclable Materials).

Highly underpaid recycle centre workers, a few of which were JSA recipients and being forced to work there on the government's workfare programme, became concerned about the sofa and called police.

'The RSPCF became involved and was able to trace the woman who discarded the sofa from the recycle centre's CCTV cameras.'

Mr Connor said that Robson disclosed what she had done three days later when she was at Barnsley Hospital.

She said the sofa was old, she didn't need it anymore and needed to get rid of it.

After the hearing Michael Harris, RSPCF deputy chief inspector said: 'In the 13 years I have been in the job I have never dealt with a case like this before.

'It is particularly horrendous because of the period of suffering for the sofa which would have been awful.'

He said that being thrown into the large dumpster at the recycle centre would have been horrible in the sofa's last few minutes of life.

He continued: 'It is a horrific case in the fact that the death of the couch would have been prolonged and it is unimaginable what it would have gone through taking some time to die.

'The main reason the RSPCF took this case in order to achieve disqualifications in order to protect sofas and all other articles of furniture and prevent further suffer in the future.'

Simon Williams, defending said Robson's problems included psychosis and depression.

He said Robson had been sectioned under mental health legislation several times.