A 24-year-old man who fell asleep in a cafe after a Hop tu Naa party has been fined £400 for being drunk and disorderly.

Paul Anthony Knighton struggled with police after they woke him up and had to be restrained on the ground.

Magistrates also ordered the labourer to pay £125 prosecution costs.

Prosecuting advocate James Robinson told the court that police were called to The Caff in Lord Street, Douglas, at 10am on October 29 after a report that staff had been unable to rouse a man who was sleeping at a table.

When officers arrived, they found Knighton, who lives at Ballavitchel Road in Douglas, with his head on the table asleep.

Children were present and police struggled to wake Knighton up but when they did, they helped him up and described him as unsteady on his feet and smelling of alcohol.

He was guided out of the cafe but then turned to try to go back in.

He was taken outside and officers tried to establish his details.

However, Knighton was said to have pulled away from them and tensed his arms.

He was told to calm down but kept pulling away and resisting so he was eventually put on the ground and arrested.

In court Knighton pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly.

Defence advocate Ian Kermode said: ‘Mr Knighton had been out celebrating the previous night.

‘It was an early Hop tu Naa party and he consumed a lot of alcohol.

‘Quite simply, he’d gone to the cafe to buy a fry up and sober up.

‘He did fall asleep and was somewhat startled by the police.

‘He has no recollection of what happened in the cafe but he accepts the police evidence that there was a struggle and an argument outside.’

Mr Kermode went on to ask for credit to be given for his client’s guilty plea and the fact that he had just one previous conviction.

‘He apologised to police at the custody suite and is disappointed in himself,’ said the advocate.

‘He would say he normally drinks sensibly but drank far too much the night before.’

Magistrates ordered Knighton to pay the fine and costs at a rate of £25 per week.