A man refused leave the area outside a court building despite being ordered to by police following a separate incident.
Paul Baptist, 53, of London Road in Lynn, appeared at the town’s magistrates’ court on Thursday charged with failing to comply with a police direction excluding him from an area.
He pleaded guilty to the offence, which he committed on August 17 outside the court building on College Lane itself. Prosecutor Emma Pocknell said that on that date, police had been called to reports of anti-social behaviour.
Baptist was handed a Section 35 notice under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, which ordered him to leave Lynn town centre. However, he refused to leave the scene and continued to shout at an officer – leading to his arrest.
Mitigating, Tiffany Meredith said Baptist may have behaved the way he did because he was drunk.
“Some of the friends he spends time with are alcoholic-dependant, and that contributed to the anti-social behaviour,” the solicitor said.
“He would like it noted that there was only a three-minute gap between the order being given and him being arrested.”
Magistrates, led by Martin Redhead, handed Baptist a six-month conditional discharge for his offence.
He will pay a £26 victim surcharge, but no legal costs due to his means.
“Stay out of trouble full stop, but certainly for the next six months,” Mr Redhead said.
