(Image: Alice Kavanagh)
A man’s foul-mouthed loud behaviour closed Ouse Bridge in the middle of the day for one-and-a-half hours, York magistrates heard.
Damen Metcalfe, 37, ‘fell’ into an elderly couple then sat on the bridge's parapet at lunchtime on August 2, said Kathryn Walters, prosecuting.
The court heard police were called.
“He was shouting and swearing, and threatening the emergency services. It went on for an hour-and-a-half until he was arrested,” said the prosecutor.
At the time, The Press reported how the police closed the bridge while they dealt with Metcalfe.
Metcalfe, of Rosemary Court, Easingwold, pleaded guilty to using disorderly behaviour on Ouse Bridge on August 2, being drunk and disorderly in Spurriergate on July 28, and stealing alcohol worth £7 from Sainsbury’s in Micklegate, on September 19.
He has other convictions for drink-related offences and on September 1.
York magistrates gave him a 12-month community order which included wearing an alcohol abstinence tag for 120 days.
It detects if the wearer drinks alcohol.
His solicitor Adam Henry said: “He is a nuisance when he drinks – that is the crux of it.”
Magistrates ordered Metcalfe to pay a total of £301 including £120 in fines, a statutory surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.
Mr Henry said Metcalfe had breached his community order after he stole the alcohol and he had underlying issues with alcohol.
When Metcalfe was released on police bail on September 22, he was given bail conditions banning him from York.
But he didn’t have the means to pay for public transport back to Easingwold and faced the prospect of walking 14 miles to get home.
He spent the night on the streets and was arrested the following day for breaching his bail conditions, the solicitor said.
He was then sent to court in custody.
It comes after Ouse Bridge was closed earlier this month following concern for the safety of a teenage girl at 10.20pm on Monday, September 7.
A force spokesperson said at the time: “It [the incident] was brought to a safe conclusion at 11.15pm and the road reopened soon after.”
Police had also been called to the bridge on the evening of Saturday, September 5 following a fear for welfare incident which was safely resolved.