Bottle attacker found with drugs after breaching pub ban

Wednesday 10 January 2024

A man previously convicted of attacking a woman has landed himself in court again after breaching an exclusion order banning him from pubs, and then telling police he had forgotten about drugs in his possession. 

Ryan James Le Monnier (19) had been sentenced to 90 hours of community service, put on probation for a year and barred from licensed premises when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court on 12 October for grave and criminal assault.

He had thrown a bottle at a woman, causing injuries to her face, although her eyesight was not damaged.

But the court heard on Tuesday that Le Monnier had been spotted in a pub again only 17 days after the ban was imposed.

When arrested on 29 October he was found to have a small amount of cannabis resin on him.

Le Monnier had so far completed 30 hours of his community service order.

Advocate Katie Ridley, prosecuting, said: "Alcohol would appear to be a factor in his offending."

Pictured: The case was heard in the Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

Advocate Allana Binnie, defending, said of the breach: “He was still coming to terms with not being able to socialise with his friends in the usual way.

“He wasn’t drinking in the pub, and he has since been fully compliant with the order, including over the festive period.”

Of the cannabis resin, she added: “He had been gifted it by a friend and he had forgotten that he still had it.”

Assistant Magistrate Adam Clarke accepted that Le Monnier had pleaded guilty to breaching the order and possession of drugs but told him: “Exclusion orders are there for a purpose. There was only a small amount of cannabis, but it is an illegal drug.”

He ordered him to complete the community service and probation orders and imposed another exclusion order, barring him from licensed premises except for shops selling alcohol for another three months.

He also fined him £300 for the drugs possession and allowed him to pay at the rate of £30 per week.

Pictured top: Le Monnier was found to have entered a pub 17 days after the ban was imposed.