A YORK man who remonstrated with a group of men smashing down his next-door neighbour's front door faces a £170 court bill.
The city's magistrates heard the men were police on a drugs raid, and they arrested Gavin Eckles, 30, for swearing at them.
Solicitor Mark Thompson said Eckles had been keeping an eye on the property for its landlord and on an earlier occasion about 20 youths had caused a disturbance nearby.
He did not realise that the half-dozen men trying to get into the house, in Burgess Walk, were police because they were in plain clothes.
Prosecutor David Garnett said Eckles spent five hours in custody after his arrest.
"On a number of occasions he asked what the police were doing - using inappropriate language," he added.
Eckles, of Burgess Walk, Foxwood, pleaded guilty to a public order offence and was ordered to pay £100 with £70 costs.
Updated: 10:56 Tuesday, January 08, 2002
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