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THURSDAY, 25th NOVEMBER, 2010.

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What’s on... What’s gone...

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CHRISTMAS SHOPPING SPECIAL : 24 PAGES OF THE BEST IN LOCAL BUSINESS

A pub landlord and ‘substitute’ showed football games illegally

A Congleton landlord has been fined over £11,000 after he and his alter ego were charged with showing football matches illegally.

John Patrick Maughan, (39), of The Unicorn, West Heath Shopping Centre, appeared at South Cheshire Magistrates sitting in Crewe, on Friday.

He pleaded guilty to six counts of dishonestly receiving a television programme at the Holmes Chapel Road ub, after being caught showing premiership football matches on the BSkyB channel without a commercial licence several times this year.

After handing down the fine, the judge told Maughan he had broken the law to gain a commercial advantage.

“Dave Jones” was also charged on five counts of the same offence, but the prosecution revealed that this defendant did not exist.

Miles Bennett, prosecuting, said: “It’s become clear that Mr Jones has never attended court, because he in fact does not exist. However you could say he has attended, because Mr Maughan is Mr Jones.”

The court heard that Maughan

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had been the pub’s designated premises supervisor for several years, and between March 2004 and June 2005 and between August 2005 and June 2007 had a non-domestic commercial agreement allowing him to show football matches.

Mr Bennet said: “Sport is a huge business for publicans and Mr Maughan knew that to lawfully show premier league football, he needed a commercial contract, which is more expensive than a domestic one. • —Turn to back page.

Sex abuse allegations surface after 21 years

The defendant in a child sex abuse case was brought to trial 21 years after the alleged offences took place.

The allegations came to light when police visited the complainant after a suicide threat was made to a doctor.

Paul Askey, (52), of Centre Court, Alsager, appeared at Stoke Crown Court to deny 13 counts of indecent assault, buggery and attempted rape. The case started on Monday.

The alleged incidents happened between 1981 and 1997 against two children.

The complainant went to the doctor on 5th March 2009 and told the court that he was refused counselling for the abuse and was told to leave the surgery.

Dr Chandra Kanneganti, a GP at Goldenhill Medical Centre, Stoke-on-Trent, disagreed, saying that the complainant had been seeking a sick note for arthritis and wanted a prescription for anti-depressants.

Paul Cliff, defending, told the court that the man had become loud and abusive and was told to leave the premises.

Both agreed that the complainant said to the doctor when leaving: “If I commit suicide then on your head be it.”

Following this, the doctor alerted police to the suicide threat and the allegations of abuse and officers visited the man’s house.

When asked about the abuse allegation, he said he wished to make a formal complaint to police.

At the time of the alleged abuse, the man said he told an adult, but he was not believed.

He admitted taking steps to try to forget the alleged incidents: “I thought talking to someone might help but it didn’t. I think I said something to a psychiatrist during methadone treatment but couldn’t remember I’d said anything because of the drugs.

“The reason for going to the doctors was that I’d had enough of taking drugs to get it out of my head. I told the doctor and wanted to see if I could get counselling but was told I couldn’t.”

The complainant said he was abused as a child of four and five and again during the late 1980s between the ages of roughly 10 and 14. • —Turn to back page.

It’s that time of year again! The winners of Congleton’s Christmas card competition, Jessica Platt, Francine Page and Phoebe Dodson, meet Santa Claus. Their card designs will be used by the town council, Congleton Town Mayor Coun David Brown and the “Chronicle”. For more details and for news of tomorrow’s (Friday’s) Christmas lights switch-on agenda, turn to page 55. (“Chronicle” photo. 4714c/10).

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