A 'PROLIFIC' offender has been hauled back to court after breaching a criminal behaviour order by being drunk and abusive in public.

Craig Howman, of Stones Manor Lane in Hartford, was handed a five-year CBO in December 2022 when he was jailed for 16 weeks after sexually assaulting a woman.

As part of that order, the 32-year-old is banned from being drunk in public, having an open container of alcohol, and entering licensed premises in the CW8 or CW9 areas.

But, on September 2, Howman was found drunk in Moss Road, Northwich, which has a CW8 postcode.

He also had an open container of alcohol and was verbally abusive to police officers when they attended.

Howman returned to court the following day where he pleaded guilty to breaching the CBO.

The magistrates in Chester handed him a 12-month community order, in which he must abstain from alcohol for 90 days and submit to monitoring.

He must also complete up to 35 days of rehabilitation activity.