A visitor has been jailed for 20 weeks after assaulting a police officer and damaging a police cell and pub fire alarm - less than a day after arriving in the island.

Thomas Fleetwood, of no fixed abode, admitted four offences, of being drunk and disorderly, assaulting a police officer, and two counts of damaging property. He was banned from the island for five years with an exclusion order.

Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes told him: ’The Isle of Man does not need people coming over here for short visits carrying out drunken behaviour in the way you did.’

Fleetwood, aged 27, had only arrived last Friday evening (January 19) with his partner to visit her grandfather.

Defence advocate Rebecca Cubbon said Fleetwood and the woman had gone out for a meal the following evening.

’He accepts he may have drank too much,’ she said. Due to that he can’t recall what happened but he accepts what the manager of the pub and police said.

’He is extremely apologetic for his actions. He wants to apologise to all those in the pub who witnessed it, the manager, and the police.

’Perhaps more aggravating is the damage to the cell in custody. He can’t recall it but is disgusted by his behaviour. He offered to clean it himself but accepts that kind of damage requires professional cleaning.

’His partner’s grandfather has offered to lend him money as he can’t recall his pin number so doesn’t have access to his bank account.

’This has already had quite a negative impact and strained relations with his partner’s family.’

Ms Cubbon went on to say that Fleetwood lost out on a job opportunity in the island because of the incident and asked that her client be spared an exclusion order as he had visited the island on previous occasions without incident.

Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said while passing sentence: ’Obviously the aggravating factor is that you were intoxicated at the time. So intoxicated that you could not remember the incident.

’Your behaviour was appalling. The alarm was damaged by you pushing it and it was activated. There was an assault on a PC and causing damage in the way you did is one of the worst ways.

’I bear in mind your letter which says custody will have an impact on your job prospects but you should have thought about that before getting so drunk you couldn’t control your actions.’

Fleetwood was also ordered to pay compensation of £90 to the Castle Arms in Castletown, £250 to the police officer and £150 to the police for the cleaning of the cell.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks custody for the police assault, eight weeks for damaging the cell, to run consecutively, and six weeks for damaging the fire alarm, to run concurrently.