A man who damaged a smoke detector in a hotel room has been fined £300.

Lee Simon Crawley, 46, of no fixed abode, has been staying at the Sefton Express Hotel in Ballasalla.

Prosecutor Crissie Hunt said the police were called on April 14 after Crawley tampered with the smoke detector in his room.

Crawley had previously been warned by hotel staff for covering the detector.

He was subsequently arrested at the hotel and told the police he had not been smoking in his room, but that his deodorant had previously set the alarm off.

Defence advocate Andrew Baker said Crawley had pleaded guilty to criminal damaged at the earliest possible point and admitted covering the alarm which caused ’minor temporary damage’.

Mr Baker said the damage to the smoke detector had been ’reckless but not intentional’.

Deputy High Bailiff Chris Arrowsmith said ’tampering with a smoke detector is extremely foolish’ and that Crawley had put himself and others potentially at risk.

He accepted the damage was of ’low level’ and fined Crawley £300 plus costs of £125 to be paid immediately.