A 38-year-old has been fined £150 for being found drunk in a public place.

James Steven Cosgrove admitted the offence and was also ordered by magistrates to pay £125 prosecution costs.

Prosecuting advocate Rachael Braidwood told the court that police were called to the beach at Queen’s Road in Castletown on June 27 at 9.30pm after a report of three males and a female starting a fire and urinating.

Officers arrived and asked them to move but when they went to put out the fire Cosgrove was said to have tried to stop them.

He was warned to leave the area but didn’t and was subsequently arrested.

The court heard that he has a number of previous convictions including ones for drunkenness and public order offences.

Defence advocate Stephen Wood entered a basis of plea on behalf of his client in which Cosgrove, who lives in School Hill Avenue, Castletown, said he had not urinated and had not sworn or been rude to the officers.

Mr Wood said: ’Mr Cosgrove has pleaded guilty to being found drunk in a public place.

’I suspect after England’s historic win there might have been a few people who were found drunk in a public place.

’Had he gone home when told to by the police he wouldn’t find himself here. He thought there was nothing wrong with having a fire on the beach with his friends.’

Cosgrove was ordered to pay the fine at a rate of £10 per week.