A CILGERRAN man who drunkenly abused a Cardigan police officer had gone to the police station to recover property belonging to him, a court heard.

Ellis Morgan Lawrence, of Trabanog, admitted being drunk and disorderly on 23 August after he initially turned up at Cardigan Police Station while drunk before later being arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour at the A487 bypass.

Kevin Challinor, prosecuting, said Lawrence, 21, was spoken to by police after he started shouting and swearing outside the police station in Cardigan.

Lawrence was asked to leave the area several times, but refused to do so and continued to shout and swear despite being warned about his behaviour before then running away.

However, an officer on patrol in a police car later saw Lawrence walking in the middle of the road along the bypass. When Lawrence was approached by the officer he again became abusive and started shouting and swearing at the officer.

Lawrence again refused to leave the area and despite being warned to get out of the road, refused to do so.

Defence solicitor Alan Lewis said Lawrence had made a “very bad error of judgement” by attending at the police station while drunk and said he wanted to apologise to the officer involved.

Mr Lewis said Lawrence had been trying for some time to have property returned to him by the police and had become frustrated by the delay.

He said Lawrence had eventually left the police station and had been walking home on the bypass when he was approached by the police.

Mr Lewis said: “He’s genuinely very remorseful for what happened. He’s asked me to apologise to the officer involved for his behaviour.”

He added Lawrence had spent a night in custody following his arrest, despite drunk and disorderly being a non-imprisonable offence.

Mr Lewis said that while Lawrence accepted his behaviour was “inappropriate”, he had not made any threats to the officer or been violent in any way.

Lawrence was given a 12-month conditional discharge and will pay costs of £105.