The following cases were heard at Reading Magistrates’ Courts.

COLIN ONEILL, 45, of Holmes Crescent, Wokingham, convicted of drink-driving in Forest Road, Binfield, on January 3, 2024. Fined £700. Also ordered to pay £85 court costs and £280 victim surcharge. Disqualified from driving for 14 months.

ALEKSANDER RZADKOWSKI, 37, of Livingstone Road, Newbury, convicted of drug-driving in Basingstoke Road, Reading, on December 20, 2023. Found to have cocaine in their system. Given a community order to undertake rehabilitation activity and 100 hours of unpaid work. Must also pay £85 court costs and £114 victim surcharge. Disqualified from driving for 17 months.

ALI SHAHID, 34, of Masons Road, Slough, convicted of drink-driving in Uxbridge Road, Slough, on December 17, 2022. Found to have 53mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the legal limit being 35mcg. Fined £250. Also ordered to pay £200 court costs and £100 victim surcharge. Disqualified from driving for 14 months.

ADAM SOUDAH, 31, of Chagford Road, Reading, convicted of using a vehicle without the correct insurance in Goldfinch Crescent in Bracknell on April 6, 2024. Also convicted of drink-driving on the same occasion. Found to have 46mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the legal limit being 35mcg. Fined £500. Also ordered to pay £85 court costs and £200 victim surcharge. Disqualified from driving for 12 months.

ZAKHRIA DAR, 28, of Common Road, Slough, convicted of drug-driving in Chalvey Road East, Slough, on January 26, 2024. Found to have cannabis in their system. Fined £323. Also ordered to pay £85 court costs and £129 victim surcharge. Disqualified from driving for 36 months.

MOHAMED ALI ELFAKI, 37, of Patten Ash Drive, Wokingham, convicted of failing to provide a specimen for analysis as a vehicle driver in custody at Loddon Valley Police Station on ~October 9, 2023. Fined £1,000. Also ordered to pay £400 court costs and £400 victim surcharge. Disqualified from driving for 14 months.

FIONA ROUTLEDGE, 59, of Toutley Road, Wokingham, convicted of drink-driving in Sindlesham Road, on March 22, 2024. Found to have 79mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the legal limit being 35mcg. Also convicted of driving while disqualified on the same occasion. Given a community order to comply with rehabilitation activity. Must pay £114 victim surcharge. Disqualified from driving for three years.

PAUL TEAL, 55, of Elvaston Way, Tilehurst, convicted of two counts of common assault in Reading on June 27, 2024. Given a conditional discharge for 12 months. Must also pay £100 compensation.

JOSHUA MADDEN, 25, of Mickle Hill, Sandhurst, convicted of fraud by abuse of position – namely while a charity collector for Macmillan Cancer Charity dishonestly abused that position to make a gain - £1,300. It happened between January 2022 and June 2023. Given a community order to comply with rehabilitation activity. Must pay £300 compensation.

It is established in the UK that court cases should be heard in public.

This principle of open justice is acclaimed on a number of grounds: as a safeguard against judicial error and as a deterrent to perjury, to assist the deterrent function of trials and to permit the revelation of matters of public interest. Costs include victim surcharge and courts charges.