'Abusive man' with bat on Christmas Day had been drinking since 11am

After police were called to a flat in Skegness on Christmas Day because the occupant was reportedly 'smashing it up', they found him in the street carrying a baseball bat, magistrates at Boston have been told.

Prosecutor Jim Clare said police officers went to the flat in Wainfleet Road just before 9pm and found the occupier, 32 year old Carl Adam Chappell ten minutes later in the street carrying a baseball bat.

He said Chappell dropped the bat over a wall before they got to him and when asked about it, he said: “What f****** bat?”

He said Chappell was aggressive towards them, clearly intoxicated and shouting and swearing and eventually had to be arrested.

Mr Clare said that when Chappell, who admitted behaviour causing alarm of distress, was interviewed, he said he could not remember too much as he'd been drinking since 11am.

In mitigation, Andrea Wilkes said he had had an argument with his partner and she had told him to leave and so he was taking some of his belongings, including the baseball bat, to a friend's flat when he was stopped by the police.

She said he was abusive towards the officers as he didn't think he had done anything wrong, but he had never used the bat to threaten the officers.

The magistrates adjourned the case for sentence on February 19 and called for a report from the Probation Service.

Chappell was granted unconditional bail.