£500 fine for man who broke Royal Court order

Wednesday 12 April 2017

A 25-year-old-man received a £500 fine in the Magistrate's Court after he broke a Royal Court order that prevented him from entering licensed premises.

Greg Alexander Stewart was arrested on suspicion of breaking a court order on 25 March after a police officer was alerted to his presence in the smoking area of the Royal Yacht Hotel, which is part of the licensed premises. The breach occurred three weeks before the original 12 months' exclusion order expired.

At the time of his arrest, Stewart was found to be "intoxicated, unsteady on his feet and slurred in speech."

Although, Stewart admitted to having drunk moderately that night,  Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris stated: "You weren't that controlled that you didn't break your exclusion order. You have no excuse, your birthday was later that week."

"The breach happened very close to the expiration of the order. I think we are dealing with a silly young man," added the Assistant Magistrate.

Because the Magistrate's Court has no power to extend a Royal Court order, Stewart was handed a £500 fine, which is far less than the £10,000 maximum he could have received.

Handing down the sentence, Assistant Magistrate Harris told Stewart: "You need to understand that actions have consequences, especially when you are drinking. You also need to understand the consequences of drinking on your decision making, otherwise you find yourself at risk of getting into trouble. Take care of how much you drink." 

Stewart was excluded from licensed premises in April 2016 after he threw a glass at another man shortly before Christmas in December 2015. The victim and Stewart were at Mimosa the night of the events and started exchanging words after the victim tried to push Stewart away as he was dancing inappropriately with one of the victim's friends. After the victim pushed Stewart away, knocking him off balance, and turned away, Stewart threw a glass at him which caused multiple lacerations behind the right ear.