A drunk man from Douglas mistakenly went to his old address then broke a pane of glass in a door after falling into it.

James Robert Ashworth, of Clinch's Court, was sentenced to a two year conditional discharge by Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes after admitting damaging property in Dalton Street in Douglas belonging to a company.

He was also ordered to pay £250 compensation for the broken pane of glass and £125 prosecution costs.

Thirty-five-year-old Ashworth lived at the property for 10 years and went there in error after a drunken night out.

Prosecutor Barry Swain told the court how on August 29 at 3.16am, police were called to Dalton Street after reports of a banging noise in the hallway of the premises.

Police arrived to find Ashworth in the communal hallway with a pane of glass smashed.

He was initially arrested on suspicion of burglary but that charge was not pursued.

When interviewed Ashworth admitted breaking glass in a door, saying he fell into it while he was drunk after mistaking the house for his own.

Ashworth was said to have offered to pay for the broken pane but due an ongoing civil dispute over rent with him the letting agent had not accepted his offer.

Mr Swain said that the damage had been valued at £250.

’It is accepted it was reckless rather than deliberate. Clearly in his drunken state he got the wrong address. There is no suggestion he intended to burgle the premises. It was empty apart from the person living upstairs.’

Defence advocate Ailish Hannan told the court that the witness who called the police lived on the top floor of the property but the bottom floor, where Ashworth entered was empty.

Ms Hannan said: ’Mr Ashworth was named on mail at the property so it has been confirmed he was a past tenant.

’He lived there for 10 years. Unfortunately, due to his drunken state, he had returned to the wrong property.’