Judge 'overlooks' Cheryl Cole brother's late court date

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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Cheryl Cole's elder brother has been given a slap on the wrist from a judge at Newcastle Crown Court after turning up a day late.

Cheryl Cole: Trying to help her brother

Andrew Tweedy, 29, was due in court on Monday for breaching the terms of the suspended prison sentence he was given for squirting pepper spray in a stranger's face, but he failed to turn up and a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.

His barrister, Paul Caulfield, told Judge Esmond Faulks: "He heard about his case on Real Radio yesterday and rang his solicitor. He maintains he never received any correspondence relating to yesterday's hearing and he has been here since 9am this morning.

"Can I ask you to withdraw the bench warrant which was issued yesterday? He has not missed a single appointment for the drug rehabilitation requirement, the problem has been with the supervision."

Mr Caulfield said that Tweedy accepted he had missed six probation appointments since August.

Judge Faulks ordered Tweedy to pay £100 prosecution costs - at £5 a fortnight - and warned him that if did not comply with the probation order, he faces going to prison.

"From what I have read about you, you have only completed 10-and-a-quarter hours of your unpaid work since the order commenced on May 14 and you have missed six scheduled appointments without any reasonable explanation," the judge said.

"It looks to me that you went off the rails for a period. Since this is your first breach I am prepared to overlook it and I am going to deal with it by adding it to your requirement programme. If you do not co-operate, you have got 36 weeks imprisonment hanging over you."

Tweedy was spared jail in May for attacking Lee Clark on August 13 last year. Mr Clark, 30, was walking home from work when he was pounced upon.

Tweedy admitted common assault and possession of a prohibited weapon and was sentenced to 36 weeks imprisonment suspended for two years, with 12 months supervision and 100 hours unpaid work.

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