The following cases were heard at Reading or Slough Magistrates’ Courts

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May 5

AZAM AKMAL, 38, of Stoke Poges Lane, Slough, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified on April 16 this year in Slough as well as failing to provide a specimen for analysis to an officer when required to do so. He was jailed for 24 weeks and disqualified from driving for 39 months.

JOSEPH HIGHWOOD, 35, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour on May 2 this year in Newbury causing that person to believe that immediate unlawful violence would be used against them. He was jailed for eight weeks. There were no orders for costs.

MARIGLEN QOSHKU, 25, of Fulbourne Road, Walthamstow, Kidlington, pleaded guilty to driving without third-party insurance on September 22 last year in Southampton Street, Reading as well as driving without a licence. He was disqualified from driving for six months and fined £160. Six penalty points were also added to his licence. There were also court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £64.

May 12

BENIAMIN ONESEMUIUC-PETROVICI, 46, of St Andrews Way, Slough, pleaded guilty to drink-driving on May 6 with 69 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. He was disqualified from driving for 18 months, reduced by 18 weeks, and fined £500. There were also court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £200.

HALIM PRIFTI, 36, of Hubert Road, Slough, pleaded guilty to using a hand-held mobile telephone while driving on September 10 last year in Reading as well as driving while disqualified and without third-party insurance. He was disqualified from driving for four months and fined £807. There was also court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £430.

RYAN BANNING, 26, of St George’s Avenue, Newbury, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing harassment, alarm or distress by using threatening, abusive or insulting word on March 3 in Newbury as well as pleading guilty to one count of harassment without violence between March 4 and March 9 by turning up to an address several times. He pleaded guilty to two counts of assault on the same day. He also pleaded guilty to, on March 7, sending a grossly offensive message and between February 26 and March 8 in Thatcham he pleaded guilty to stalking. He was given a community order to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity and was made subject to a restraining order. There were court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £114.

JAVED WITHERS, 35, of Liverpool Road, Reading, pleaded guilty to stealing a £159 Henry Hoover from Tesco in Warfield, Bracknell on March 8 as well as stealing a £159 Hetty Hoover from the same store on March 11. He also pleaded guilty to failing to surrender to court/police bail in Reading on April 17 this year. He was jailed for four months. There were no orders for costs.

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A fundamental principle of justice is that it must be seen to be done. Open justice is acclaimed on a number of grounds: as a safeguard against judicial error, to assist the deterrent function of criminal trials and to permit the revelation of matters of interest