A POTTY-mouthed street drinker has avoided jail, after a judge heard he was mending his ways.

Luke King was one of five street drinkers banned in April from visiting five town centre spots, boozing in the town or using abusive language anywhere in the borough of Swindon.

But the 34-year-old found himself back in front of a Swindon County Court judge this week for breaking the terms of the injunction.

Swindon Borough Council initially claimed King had broken the court order six times – the first days after the injunction was made. However, council solicitor Francis Maples agreed to set aside three of the breaches after King, of Tudor Walk, Walcot, admitted breaches in May and June.

Representing himself before District Judge Peter Hatvany, King acknowledged he had said sworn “oh, f*** off” when he was approached by PCSOs Oliver Jefferies and Mark Chivers in Queen’s Park on May 17.

An hour later, he shouted and waved his arms as PC Joseph Tedder attempted to arrest him in the same town centre park.

On June 1, two weeks after the Queen’s Park incident, King launched a foul-mouthed tirade at PCSO Steve Wade. That abuse, which breached an injunction ban on using bad language, again took place at Queen’s Park.

Among the breaches set aside by the borough included an allegation King had called A/Sgt Paul Bezzant, Wiltshire Police’s town centre community coordinator, a “f***ing k**b”.

Appearing before Swindon County Court wearing a smart shirt and close-cropped hair, King apologised for his behaviour: “I’m sorry for wasting everyone’s time. I just want to put this behind me.

“This has been a burden on me, this court case. I have pulled myself together. I just need a bit of a wake-up call.”

King said he had got work as a bricklayer since the breaches. He was drinking less, working with the probation service and had referred himself to addiction experts Turning Point for help with his alcohol dependency.

District Judge Hatvany acknowledged the improvements made by King: “He has shown genuine remorse. He has taken steps to turn his life around.

“I don’t think in those circumstances a custodial sentence is appropriate.”

Ordering that the breach was marked on King’s record but stepping short of jailing him for flouting the injunction, the district judge added: “Mr King, just keep it up.”

Speaking after the case, A/Sgt Paul Bezzant said: “The injunctions aren’t there to punish anybody. We want to trigger a positive change."

“As Luke King said, this was a wake-up call for him. Hopefully he’s making the positive steps he needs to avoid him from causing further issues to the community.”