A 52-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to blackmail, false imprisonment and causing actual bodily harm.

Trevor Thirlwall, of Granville Road, Middlesbrough, appeared at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. He is charged with detaining Robert Phillips against his will between October 1 and November 8 last year, blackmailing a man to hand over drugs money between August 1 and November 28, and assaulting Robert Phillips sometime between October 1 and November 8 last year.

The case was adjourned until Friday

VICTIM NAMED: Driver Deborah Hunter, 30, of Thornaby, died on Thursday when her blue Peugeot was in collision with a silver BMW on the Stokesley to Hutton Rudby road. The collision occurred at 8.40am, one mile from Stokesley, and the driver of the BMW Simon Boyle and his seven-year-old daughter Rachel, from Stokesley, both sustained minor injuries. Police are appealing for witnesses to call (01723) 509555.

BURGLARY PLEA: A man pleaded guilty to burglary and attempted burglary. Richard Charlton, 19, of Pentland Avenue, Billingham, admitted burgling a house in Braemar Road and stealing jewellery worth £2,200 and games and a DVD player worth £520 on October 9 last year. The father-of-one also admitted attempting to enter a house in the town last October 18. Charlton, who suffers from a heart condition, was made subject to a community rehabilitation order for two years by Teesside Crown Court.