A 43-year-old homeless man has been fined £100 for being drunk on Douglas promenade.

Gatis Jakabsons, originally from Latvia, but of no fixed abode, admitted an offence of being found drunk in a public place and must also pay £50 prosecution costs.

Prosecutor Barry Swain told the court how Jakabsons was an unemployed seaman/waiter. At 6.40pm on May 30 he was seen by police on Loch Promenade and was clearly drunk as he was slouched over, struggling to support himself.

He told officers that he was living rough on the promenade and was a recovering alcoholic who had lapsed from sobriety.

He was said to be visibly upset and said that he wanted to go home to Latvia but had no means of support.

Defending Jakabsons in court, advocate Winston Taylor told a sad tale of how his client was previously living in the UK but had split from his wife due to his alcohol problem.

Jakabsons was said to have got treatment with the help of a church and patched things up with his wife.

He then got a job with a Manx shipping company, which was why he was in the island.

’Unfortunately, he had one can of Jack Daniels and the rest is history,’ said Mr Taylor.

’He indicates that once he drunk this, he was unable to stop. As a result he lost his job as a waiter on the ship and lost his hotel accommodation here. He says he has messed everything up. He was effectively arrested for his own safety and not because he was a danger to anyone else.’

Magistrates ruled there will be six days in default if Jakabsons is unable to pay the fine and costs forthwith.