A RECOVERING alcoholic who grew increasingly terrified of the coronavirus pandemic fell off the wagon and landed himself back in court.

Clive Gonsalves had been working with addiction service Turning Point, telephoning his support worker as all face-to-face appointments have stopped during the lockdown. Having previously been homeless he was back at the family home and sober.

But Swindon Magistrates’ Court heard the 33-year-old, who suffers from poor mental health, had become more and more worried about Covid-19.

On April 2 he went out the house to collect some anti-depressants. But as well as his medication, Gonsalves also bought a bottle of booze.

Emma Handslip, defending, said the alcohol had had more of an effect on her client as he had been detoxing from booze for the best of a month.

When he returned home his family were upset that he had relapsed and asked him to leave the house. He banged on the kitchen window until it smashed.

Gonsalves had last been in trouble two months earlier. He had called 999 on January 26 and told the call handler who intended to take his own life.

When police officers found him, he said he wasn’t able to go back to the family home. He was drinking from a bottle of spirits.

He asked the constables to take him to McDonald's, which they did. But the officers were called back to the fast food restaurant around 15 minutes later by staff, saying Gonsalves was refusing to leave.

The Portuguese national began swearing at the officers and was arrested for being drunk and disorderly.

Appearing before court via Skype from Gablecross police station, Gonsalves, of no fixed address, admitted being drunk and disorderly and criminal damage.

A previous suspended sentence order was extended by six months, meaning he faces a 12-week jail spell if he gets in trouble in the next 18 months. He was fined £50 for the disorderly behaviour and given a six-month conditional discharge for damaging the window.

Chairman of the bench Natalie O’Connell said: “You’ve heard the details and up until April 2 it’s pretty much a glowing report. You’ve made progress, you’ve abstained from alcohol, you were working with the authorities.

“You more than anyone else in this room will now have seen first hand what happens when you go back to drinking.

She urged Gonsalves to keep working with Turning Point and the probation service.

You have proved that you can do it," she said. "We realise it’s difficult times. It’s difficult for everyone – you, your family. It will end and at the end of it things will go back to something like normal.”