Alcohol confused a Milford Haven man who confronted police officers in a fighting stance.

Cornelius James Harteveldt, of Richard John Road, pleaded guilty to using threatening or abusive words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, when he appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates on Tuesday, January 22.

Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones said police were called to the Mount Estate at 9.45pm on January 6, following a report of an unknown person with a knife.

They asked Harteveldt, 25, to show them his hands to make sure he was not the person they were looking for and he immediately walked up to the officer with his hands up and got into his face.

Mr Pritchard-Jones said: “He was clearly drunk and had saliva dripping from his bottom lip. He was smelling strongly of alcohol and his pupils were dilated.

“Officers tried to calm him down, but he was very anti-police. He was putting himself into a fighting stance as if inviting officers to fight him.”

There was a struggle as Harteveldt was arrested and he had to be taken to the floor because of his behaviour.

Jonathan Webb, defending, said Harteveldt had nothing to do with the disturbance on the Mount Estate, and he was not immediately aware that it was police officers who were approaching him.

“There was an unpleasant tirade towards them. He apologised in interview and does so through me today.”

Magistrates imposed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered Harteveldt to pay £85 court costs and a £20 surcharge.

The chairman of the bench said: “Undoubtedly it was the alcohol that confused you.”