Drunken man fled after alley incident

A MAN who fled the police after he was caught urinating in a Tiverton alleyway said his girlfriend now has him "under lock and key" for his moment of stupidity, Exeter magistrates heard.

James Rawbone, 24, of Wellbrook Street, Tiverton, was chased by officers who were given a mouthful of abuse when they eventually arrested him in Barrington Street, shortly after 2am on August 11.

Rawbone – wearing jeans, a black jacket over a yellow shirt and a silver chain – apologised for his actions during a night out with friends after he had managed to curb his boozing with the help of the Amber Project, a rehabilitation centre near Chulmleigh.

Rawbone said: "To be fair, I was under the influence of alcohol, have no recollection of it and I have been out of trouble for some time, and I haven't drunk for ages.

Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk

myprint-247

View details

Print voucher

Our heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.

Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk

Contact: 01858 468192

Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013

"I bumped into some friends and I had a lapse and was stupid. I drank and ended up getting arrested.

"My girlfriend has me under lock and key now. I went to Amber and I sorted my life out from there, and this was one lapse. I'm sorry for the incident," he added.

He said that a shoulder injury put him out of work some time ago and he hoped to return to employment soon thanks to Prospects, a careers and advice service for young people and adults.

Karen Ball, prosecuting, told the court how Rawbone fled after being told to stop urinating in an alleyway joining Barrington Street.

Police tried to stop him as he ran past and when they eventually caught him, "he began shouting abusive language referring to them in obscene terms. A member of the public shouted out of the window asking him to shut up because of the noise, and Mr Rawbone was arrested," Mrs Ball said.

Magistrates chairman Karen Jeffries, said: "This is a really stupid offence and we are going to fine you.

"It is good to hear you are actually admitting that drink is your problem and that Amber helped you, but what you need to do is avoid cases where you are going to be misled.

"You need to pay the court back and it would be good for you to have that sense of responsibility."

Rawbone pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behaviour and was fined £35 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £15, but no court costs.