A beggar who asked a police community support officer for money to buy chips ended up in court.

Homeless John Fletcher, 29, who stays at the St Patrick’s hostel, in Cambridge Road, Hove, stopped the PCSO in King’s Road, Brighton, on April 16.

The PCSO called for back-up from regular officers who then arrested and charged Fletcher with an offence under the Vagrancy Act.

Fletcher, who represented himself at Brighton Magistrates’ Court, admitted the charge of begging and said: “Basically my giro got messed around and I was short on money.”

The court was told Fletcher, who also goes by the names Paul Cox, John Flatcher, Karl Robb and John Smith, had a string of previous convictions relating to begging and the supply of heroin.

Fletcher told the court a drug rehabilitation programme he was on had brought structure back to his life.

Magistrates fined Fletcher a total of £35 but in a sympathetic move told him he did not have to pay the fine if he stayed in their custody at the back of the court for an hour.

Fletcher responded by turning down the offer.

Raising a look of surprise from the clerk of the court, the magistrates explained that if he stayed at the back of the court for the rest of Friday’s session until 1pm he could go without paying the fine.

But Fletcher explained: “I would rather pay the fine so I can go to my rehabilitation at 2pm. I don’t want to miss it and want to keep with the structure it has brought.”