A 64 year old year former Royal Navy seaman who makes life misery for his neighbours by ranting drunkenly at his TV and radio has again escaped jail.

Martin Solomon has spent the last two weeks in prison waiting to be sentenced for his latest breach of an ASBO - but at Gloucester Crown Court Judge Martin Picton set him free with a supervision order.

He ordered him to do 200 hours of unpaid work, to attend education training sessions for 60 days and to return to court once a month for reviews of his progress.

The judge told Solomon the only way he is going to avoid a prison term is to give up drinking.

"You have just got to stop drinking," said the judge. "You can't control it. When you drink you become a total nightmare to your neighbours.

"It's a criminal offence, what you do. You have to change your behaviour because it is causing enormous distress to your neighbours. It's just not right.

"You would hate it if you had someone like you living next to you."

Solomon, of Farmhill Lane, Stroud, admitted "It's ridiculous at my age to get into this state and I realise it."

He said he had not been taking his antabuse medication to stop his drink cravings because he was hoping to tackle his problem by himself.

But Judge Picton said it was too late for that and he could not 'self fix.'

"Drink has to be history for you," he said. "There is life beyond drinking you know. It is not the be all and end all. You have to find another purpose in your life."

Solomon had received an ASBO at the crown court on Oct 2nd last year after he admitted using foul language while in his home in Stroud.

On Thursday, April 8, he admitted breaching the ASBO on two days in March by shouting and swearing loudly in his home and disturbing neighbours.

Prosecutor Derek Ryder said "The victims are always the same people, his neighbours. They say they have put up with this for years.

"The nearest neighbours have three very young children. They have to get up to deal with them when Mr Solomon turns up the TV, shouting at it. He shouts obscenities.

"They are finding the whole thing extremely distressing. The abuse sometimes turns racist.

"The neighbours find this abusive behaviour intolerable to live with but they are forced to put up with it.

"They say that before he started drinking they found him a nice neighbour."

Said Judge Picton "Sober he is fine and drunk he is a nightmare - and drunk he is more often than not these days."

Mr Ryder said the prosecution was considering asking for an ASBO banning Solomon from having a radio or TV but the judge said "It's not the telly, it's the drink. If he didn't have a radio or TV he would shout at something else."

Carole Knotts, defending, said Solomon has been prescribed antabuse to control his drinking but is a 'proud man' who feels he should be able to deal with it himself.

"He has a hard working life behind him - he started drinking when he was young, inevitably being in the Navy drink was a part of life," she said.

"But he is beginning to recognise now that the medication is the way forward for him. Hde wants to go to a family wedding in September and he knows if he wants to be there and not in prison he will have to stop drinking."

Judge Picton gave Solomon a new community order for 12 months with 200 hours unpaid work, 60 days attendance on an education and training course, and monthly court reviews. He said the first review will be on 6th May.