Staines Magistrates' Court Sentencing Results

Emilio Ascione was found asleep in the driver's seat of a damaged silver Audi in a live lane of the A25 near Guildford in the early hours of 25 October last year. Police could not rouse him and forced the door open, finding empty whisky bottles in the car. He refused to give a breath test and later refused a blood test, saying he was scared of getting an infection. He admitted failing to provide a sample, claiming he had pulled over due to an object in the road, had no breakdown cover, and slept in the vehicle. The court heard there was a deliberate failure to provide and a reasonably high level of impairment.

Humphrey Chiwandamira consumed half a bottle of vodka before his BMW swerved across the M25 near Byfleet on April 13 last year. Police received calls about the vehicle swerving and drifting onto the hard shoulder between junctions 10 and 11. An off-duty officer later saw the same car being driven erratically on the A3, brushing the offside curb in the Hindhead Tunnel before colliding with parked cars near Haslemere. He had slept in his car when officers first visited, and after returning home he drank some more before being arrested on a second visit. He was unsteady on his feet when arrested. A blood reading nine hours after the M25 incident showed 289 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

Anthony Barnes, 45, from London, broke a community protection notice banning him from Surrey by attending an anti-immigration protest outside a hotel in Horley on 23 August 2025. He pleaded guilty and was given a 12-month conditional discharge, meaning he will receive no further action if he does not re-offend within the next year.

On 5 April 2026 a Surrey Police casualty-reduction officer was on a vehicle stop in Chertsey when a red VW Caddy van passed with its driver visibly using a handheld mobile phone. Enquiries showed the van was on false number plates; officers traced the registered keeper after identifying the van by its distinctive white bonnet. Luca Godfrey was interviewed and admitted driving on a provisional licence only, driving without insurance, using a handheld mobile phone while driving, and using a fraudulent registration mark. The vehicle was seized. On 17 September 2026 he pleaded guilty to all four offences at Staines Magistrates Court.

James Hepworth was stopped by police on Prior Road in Camberley on May 8, 2026. He failed a breath test and gave a reading of 51 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, exceeding the legal limit of 35 microgrammes. He admitted a count of drink-driving and received credit for his guilty plea.

Slawomir Wasko was stopped by police while driving a Citroen in Binscombe, near Godalming, on January 31. He gave a breath reading of 115 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, more than three times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes. The 54-year-old admitted the drink-driving offence and was sentenced at Staines Magistrates Court.

Sandy Bourdais was stopped while driving a BMW on Weybridge Road in Addlestone on March 19, 2026. A breath test gave a reading of 55 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, exceeding the legal limit of 35 micrograms. She pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.

Russell Bennett kept six horses at a farm near Ripley, Woking, between February and April 2024 and failed to provide them with adequate nutrition or treatment. RSPCA inspectors and Surrey Police found the animals suffering from lice, parasites, weight loss and respiratory conditions; a heavily pregnant mare was producing very little milk for her foal. A specialist equine vet certified all six horses as suffering or likely to suffer, and they were removed into RSPCA care. One dun mare was later put to sleep after deteriorating from colic, and the pregnant mare gave birth while in care.

Lucas Alves Pinheiro was stopped near the Malden Road roundabout in New Malden on the evening of 23 November 2025 following reports of dangerous driving on the A3. A roadside breath test recorded 138 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath, almost four times the legal limit. Further breath tests in custody gave readings of 100 and 87. He was charged with driving over the limit and appeared at court the next day.

Tina Smith, 59, of no fixed address, has a history of anti-social behaviour in Spelthorne, including setting fires to bins and damaging cars and shop windows, leading to a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order in April 2025. On November 15, 2025, she attended a pub in Ashford and threatened to set fire to the building. A member of the public called 999, and she was found nearby with three lighters. She was arrested for breaching the CBO, threats to destroy or damage property, and two public order offences.

Harrison Sullivan was driving a purple McLaren supercar at more than 71mph on the single-carriageway A30 in Virginia Water, which has a 40mph speed limit, when it crashed into another vehicle in March 2024. Witnesses reported him travelling at least 100mph or more. He failed to attend court in November 2024, went on the run, posting social media videos from Qatar, Dubai, Thailand, and Spain, and was arrested in October 2025 in Spain on unrelated matters before being extradited to the UK.

Todd Hamilton-Forbes, 43, of Horley, engaged in controlling and coercive behaviour towards a woman over approximately eight months. His actions included tracking her location, forcing her to disclose her whereabouts at all times, and making excessive phone calls, including 107 calls over a five-day period. On August 7, 2025, he entered her address with a knife, violating a previous expired restraining order. He was arrested that day and again on August 9, 2025, when found outside her address.

Peter Masters installed a hidden camera in a toilet at an address in Waverley borough to observe and record another person doing a private act. The first count involved installation between March 9 and June 9, 2023. The second count involved recording on or before June 9, 2023. Users were unaware of the camera, which was discovered when authorities downloaded the disk and viewed the recordings. Masters breached a position of trust and his actions warranted custody, but he received leniency due to his age and circumstances.

Ben Chorley, a Bromley FC defender, attended Staines Magistrates' Court to support Crystal Palace midfielder Jason Puncheon during sentencing for an assault. He took a photograph and made an audio recording of District Judge Michael Snow sentencing Puncheon to 210 hours community service. Chorley was convicted of contempt of court, briefly taken into custody, and upon return was fined £1,000 by the judge, who described it as 'an attack on the administration of justice'.

Deborah Hayes, from Mytchett in Surrey, made a series of harmful and false allegations on social media against her former partner the victim, including unfounded suggestions that he had sent indecent images of children, had numerous affairs, a sexually transmitted disease, and insulted his dying mother. These vindictive posts, described by police as having the potential to cause significant damage, led to the victim being shunned socially and his business suffering.

John Spillane was stopped by police in Cobham on March 25, 2026, shortly after his Audi was involved in an accident. He failed to stop after colliding with another vehicle on Gavell Road, leaving the other vehicle with a damaged wheel and bodywork. A roadside breath test showed he was over the drink-drive limit, and police found a tyre on his vehicle had exposed ply.

On January 30, Joshua Wanless locked a dog in a cage with a ferret at Apple Court Green in Walton, forcing the dog to kill the ferret. Police stopped him nearby and found a live ferret cramped in a box in his car boot, a blood-stained cage, a dog with fresh blood on its nose, and the killed ferret dumped on the green. Text messages on his phone revealed he planned the act for his own pleasure.