A man who hurled a torrent of abuse at passers-by in St Ives in a cider-fuelled outburst has been sentenced.

Benjamin Gawthorp, 22, was in Crown Street at about 12.30am on 15 February when he began shouting insults at women walking by.

When one of the women became distressed another member of the public tried to intervene by tackling Gawthorp.

He continued to be abusive and was arrested. In the back of the police van he spat on the floor multiple times.

In interview Gawthorp said he had drunk two litres of cider and an additional bottle of unknown alcohol. He claimed all he could remember from the evening was wishing people happy Valentine’s Day.

However, he later admitted using abusive words or disorderly behaviour likely to cause alarm or distress, damaging property and breaching a suspended sentence order.

Today (3 May) at Cambridge Crown Court, Gawthorp, of no known address, was sentenced to an 18-month community order. He was also ordered to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work.

PC Jess Porter said: “This prolonged outburst was completely unprovoked and caused distress for the people who were targeted. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol is no excuse for this kind of behaviour.”