HERE are some of the best cases heard at Worcester Magistrates Court over the last week.

The coronavirus restrictions have meant fewer defendants at court with cases staggered through the day to allow social distancing. Despite this, it was a relatively busy week in the court in Castle Street as magistrates heard cases about a shoplifting mum, a man driven to drink by a false rape allegation and an incident of violent disorder in Worcester in which a family was allegedly attacked with weapons after they left a city mosque.

On Monday we had the case of drink driver Oliver Whyman who became depressed and drank after a rape allegation. He was cleared by a jury in just five minutes.

The 38-year-old could be heard sobbing in the dock after he admitted driving with excess alcohol. He was more than three times the limit.

The bookseller was behind the wheel of a Mercedes C200 Sport when he was stopped by police in Temeside Way, Worcester on May 28 this year.

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On Thursday John Pugh of Shap Drive, Warndon, Worcester appeared after damaging a car wing mirror in The Shambles in Worcester. The owner of the Ford Focus took photos of Pugh after his car was damaged on January 8 this year.

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One of the most read stories of the week was about a shoplifting mum addicted to crack cocaine who hung her stolen haul on the back of her pushchair after shoplifting at Sports Direct in Worcester city centre.

Zoe Clark stole items of clothing worth £185.97, using a carrier bag on her push chair to hide the items, planning to give them to her kids for Christmas.

The 32-year-old mother-of-three, previously of Worcester, admitted theft from the city's sports shop and theft from TK Maxx in Kidderminster when she appeared before magistrates on Thursday.

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A fight involving multiple defendants in Worcester was deemed to be too serious to be dealt with by magistrates and was adjourned to Worcester Crown Court.

Eight men appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court on Thursday, all charged with violent disorder, following a fight in Midland Road, Worcester. Some of the men also face an additional charge of affray.

Charged with violent disorder are Sadaqat Ali, 34, of Canterbury Road, Ronkswood, Worcester; Khubaib Altaf, 26, of Knotts Avenue, Worcester; Ameen Ali Khalid, 23, of Canterbury Road, Ronkswood; Shafiq Rasool, 43, of Primrose Crescent, Worcester; Shabaz Shafaq, 23, of Mortlake Avenue, Worcester; Usman Shafaq, 22, of Mortlake Avenue, Worcester; Faisal Zaib, 26, of Timberdine Avenue, Worcester; Sakander Zaib, 35, of Timberdine Avenue, Worcester.

Five of the defendants also face a charge of affray - Altaf, Rasool, Shabaz Shafaq, Usman Shafaq and Faisal Zaib.

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