A Fishguard man who used threatening and abusive behaviour towards police officers in the centre of Tenby whilst drunk on a festive binge has been fined in court.

Twenty-seven-year-old Karl Barry Fisher, of Brodog Terrace, appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday to plead guilty to the charge.

Prosecutor Ellie Morgan told the court that the incident occurred shortly after 12 am on December 17, after the defendant had ended up in Tenby after spending a Saturday in Swansea drinking.

“Police on mobile patrol in Tenby that night were flagged down by a door supervisor at the Lifeboat Tavern. Mr. Fisher it seems had already been escorted from that premises due to his behaviour and was now outside the Tenby House Hotel over the road in Tudor Square, where door staff were telling him that he was not allowed back in,” she said.

The defendant was spoken to by police officers who were trying to calm him down and move him on, but he continuously used foul and abusive language towards them.

“People in the street were standing around shaking their heads at Mr. Fisher’s behaviour and eventually he was arrested,” continued Ms Morgan, who said that the defendant had not been in trouble for some 16 years.

Defence solicitor Mike Kelleher told magistrates that this behaviour was somewhat out of character for his client, who had clearly ‘matured a lot’ having not been before the courts in the past 16 years.

“Mr. Fisher is unemployed and cares for his terminally ill daughter. He rarely gets to go out, but on this occasion had been in Swansea that day, and clearly must have been drunk to end up in Tenby and not on the train back to Fishguard!” explained Mr. Kelleher.

“His coat was inside the pub and he wanted to go back in to get it, that’s his recollection of the incident.

“Mr. Fisher went back the following day, only to find that his coat was not there. The possessions in his coat he valued at £150, so with the fine he will receive today, it turned out to be a very expensive night!” added Mr. Kelleher.

Magistrates fined Mr. Fisher £80 for the offence and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a £30 victim surcharge.

“You’ve been 16 years out of trouble, well done for that, but I dispute what your solicitor said that you’ve matured a lot!” chief magistrate David Simpson told the defendant.

“Tenby’s a lovely place and everybody goes there to have a lovely time, so it’s incomprehensible that you’d start swearing at police officers and persistently call them this, that and the other,” he added.