Court Extra - a Silverstone racing team boss is released on bail, a Raunds firm has £200k confiscated and a Corby man is charged with perverting the course of justice

Here’s the latest from around our courts

The brother of a Formula 1 team principal has been freed by a court ahead of his trial.

William Oakes, the brother of Alpine’s Oliver Oakes, was arrested at Silverstone Park on May 1 and charged with possession of large amounts of criminal property in the form of cash. He was initially held in custody.

But Oakes, of Sheepcote Drive, Long Lawford, Rugby, appeared before Northampton Crown Court twice last week once to formally plead not guilty to the two charges, and a second time to ask a judge to grant him bail. Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking granted him bail and set a trial date for April 2027.

He is accused of being in possession of criminally-obtained cash in the sums of £831,885; 46,120 Euros; and $10,000.

Both men were directors of Hitech GP, based at Silverstone, but William Oakes resigned on Friday (June 13).

Magistrates have ordered that more than £200,000 associated with a Raunds logistics firm and its Wellingborough director should be forfeited.

Northamptonshire Police’s fraud investigation unit had been looking into the finances of PM European Logistics LTD, of Brick Kiln Road, Raunds, and its director Paul Morgan, since the beginning of 2024.

In the early stages of their investigation they applied for account freezing orders for three different bank accounts at HSBC, Natwest, and Zempler, holding a total of £234,541.39.

But Mr Morgan was back in court last month where police asked that the cash should be permanently forfeited. Their application was granted by the bench.

Account freezing and forfeiture orders can only be granted when magistrates are satisfied that the funds were obtained by unlawful conduct.

Paul Morgan, 54, of Parkins Close, Wellingborough, was also ordered to pay costs of £1264 to Northamptonshire Police.

A Corby man will stand trial in crown court after being accused of trying to persuade someone to take the blame for an alleged driving offence.

Ryan Johnson, 25, of Minden Close, Corby, is charged with committing an act with intent to pervert the course of justice. He is accused of asking a woman to give a false name on a form sent to her asking her to name the driver of a car that had allegedly committed a motoring infraction. He is also said to have falsely stated that he was not driving the vehicle on official documentation.

The offence is alleged to have happened in September 2023.

Johnson appeared before magistrates last month and will stand trial at Northampton Crown Court. He is due before that court for a plea hearing next month.

Van driver Benjamin Sinscalco has been charged with causing serious injury by driving without due care and attention.

The 32-year-old, of Hawthorn Way, Birmingham, appeared at Northampton Crown Court on June 6 charged with causing a three-vehicle smash on the A43 at Deene, north of Corby, on July 25 last year.

He did not enter a plea and will appear at the same court next month for a further hearing.

A Wellingborough man has been remanded into custody accused of a serious of serious offences.

Justin Haines, of no fixed abode, appeared before Northampton Crown Court on Thursday (June 12) charged with making threats to kill a woman if she reported him to the police and assaulting her on multiple occasions, damaging her car, intentional strangulation against a woman, intentional strangulation against a man, failing to provide a specimen of breath when under suspicion of driving while intoxicated, possession of a knife at The Gloucester pub, possession of a screwdriver in Gisburne Road, and criminally damaging a police van. All the offences were said to have happened during April.

He was remanded into custody and will stand trial later this month.