WHEN police were called to Wood Street shortly before midnight on June 18 they found Jason Smith acting in a drunken and disorderly manner.

Despite being asked to mind his language and to calm down the 36-year-old refused and continued to swear at officers who had been called to reports of a disturbance.

Smith, who provided a care-of address of Moredon Park when he appeared at Swindon Magistrates' Court today, pleaded guilty to a charge of being drunk and disorderly and then missing his day in court to answer the charge.

Representing himself after spending the day in the cells after he was brought in on an arrest warrant he told the court he was currently living in a tent and he had no recollection of the events on Wood Street.

“I was having a bit of a bender that night – well, that week to be honest,” he told the bench.

“That’s all I remember. I woke up the next morning and couldn’t remember anything about it.”

He further explained he was on ESA and spent most of his money on diabetic food.

When asked why he had missed his court appearance, he said: “I am living in a tent at the moment so I don’t have a pinboard to put all my dates on.”

The magistrates fined him £60 and ordered he pay a victim surcharge of £30 and £40 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.