A FORTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD man must abstain from drinking alcohol for 90 days after he admitted to racially aggravated assault and threatening behaviour.

David Hawksworth, of Silkstone Street, Newtown, St Helens, appeared before Liverpool, Knowsley and St Helens Magistrates' Court on October 3. 

Hawksworth pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to a religiously aggravated assault, carried out on April 16 this year.

He had already pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behaviour with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress to a police constable on the same date.

The court found that this offence was aggravated due to hostility based on the sexual orientation, or presumed sexual orientation, of the victim.

The 42-year-old was sentenced to a community order and must comply with requirements including abstaining from consuming any alcohol throughout a period of 90 days.

He must also be under an electronic curfew for 28 days and undertake rehabilitation activity for up to 20 days.

Hawksworth was given a restraining order not to contact his assault victim for two years.

He must pay two sums of £150 compensation for the offences, and £100 in costs, making a total of £400.

His guilty pleas were taken into account upon sentencing.