A drunk with almost 200 convictions has appeared in court again after being spotted swigging vodka in a town centre.

Recidivist Judd Osborne, who hails from the Thanet area, is banned from drinking alcohol in public because his past behaviour led to police applying for a criminal behaviour order in a bid to stop his offending.

It was granted in February this year by magistrates in the East Kent area and bans him from drinking in public or having an open vessel on the streets.

But in October, police spotted him in Margate High Street drinking from an open bottle.

An officer approached him and told him he was going to be arrested and put in handcuffs, but Osborne, who has committed more than 170 offences including, attempted robbery, attacks on emergency workers, being drunk and disorderly, common assault and racially aggravated harassment, asked not to be placed in cuffs and became angry with the officer and called him a “f****** mug”.

The 51-year-old, who has also previously been given an anti-social behaviour order to try to combat his offending, was later charged with breaching his criminal behaviour order and admitted the offence when he appeared before magistrates in Margate on November 6.

Among his other offences was a 2016 jail sentence of three years for trying to punch a priest and attempting to rob him.

He had also been charged with being drunk and disorderly after the incident on October 4, but after hearing his guilty plea to the breach, prosecutor, Dylan Bradshaw told the bench he was withdrawing the drunk and disorderly offence.

Mr Bradshaw added: “He is not to have a can or vessel open in public, but at 10.50am that day in Margate High Street, he was seen with an open bottle of vodka.

“The police have a conversation with him and he asked not to be put in handcuffs, but he became unpleasant and called the officer a f****** mug.

“He was belligerent and obnoxious.”

The court also heard, Osborne, who is now living in Chestnut Avenue, Walderslade, was jailed in February for 60 days for a racially aggravated harassment offence and also appeared in court in January over a public order matter.

He had been released from prison in March and had been given one last chance of accommodation from Thanet District Council which had found him a room in Chatham where he had been living for the past eight months or so.

Magistrates also heard Osborne, who had previously been living rough in the Thanet area for several years, had been using vodka as a painkiller after suffering injuries including broken ribs, a broken jaw and various lacerations to his face, after an accident on his bike in Ashford.

The bench heard on the day he was stopped he had been happy to put the bottle away, but his reaction to the police had led to his arrest.

They were also told he had managed to get himself a summer job apple picking which had resulted in him reducing his alcohol intake.

The court heard he had been keeping to the rules and regulations of his new accommodation and that despite the seasonal work finishing for this year, he had been invited back to work on the farm again next year.

Magistrates decided to place Osborne on a 12-month community order which will see him complete 140 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £114 and £85 court costs.