A 45-year-old man has been ordered to pay £2,000 after he failed to turn up for a trial.

Alex Kennedy, whose address was given as The Graih, Broadway, Douglas, was found guilty in his absence of affray after a fight with his father-in-law.

Magistrates fined him £700 for the offence, ordered him to pay £800 prosecution costs, and to forfeit £500 from his bail recognisance.

The trial was held in January but Kennedy failed to turn up saying he was in Ireland at the time on bail for offences there.

The affray took place on a Saturday afternoon on Douglas promenade when Kennedy ended up brawling with Ian Richard Watson, of Keppel Road, Douglas.

Watson, who is 47, admitted affray in September last year and was fined £1,000.

The court heard that, on August 25 at 3.11pm, Kennedy was driving along Castlemona Avenue in Douglas towards Central Promenade.

Watson was walking along Clarence Terrace when he spotted Kennedy and approached his car.

Initially there was a confrontation through the open car window with Watson banging on the window and trying to punch Kennedy, then throwing some shopping at him, but Kennedy was then said to have got out of the car as things escalated.

Watson attempted to punch Kennedy and the scuffle ended up with both men on the ground.

They were separated by members of the public and when police arrived both men were arrested.

When interviewed Kennedy admitted getting out of his car but claimed he acted in self-defence, restraining Watson.

He denied affray.

A warrant was issued for Kennedy’s arrest after he failed to turn up for his trial and was found guilty in his absence.

Defence advocate Jane Gray said: ’Mr Kennedy had proceedings in Ireland. He was arrested here and taken back to Ireland in September. He received a three month custodial sentence in Ireland and was released on December 14.

’He was not the aggressor in this incident. There was a scuffle where both men ended up on the floor.

’He believed he had been assaulted and wanted to restrain Mr Watson to make a complaint.’

A probation report said that Kennedy was a bricklayer who has lived in the Isle of Man for the last 11 years. He was said to have stayed with friends in Ireland after his release from prison in December but then returned to the Isle of Man on June 19 (Wednesday) and presented himself at a police station.

Chair of the magistrates Carol Maddrell told Kennedy: ’You were released in December 2018 and due here in January 2019 so you actively chose not to return. Clearly you should have just walked away from this matter.’

Kennedy will pay the £2,000 at a rate of £100 per month.