A man from Pembroke charged with using threatening and abusive words towards a family on a train journey through the county has been given a 12-week suspended sentence.

Twenty-four-year-old Dean Kevin Rowlands, of St. Annes Crescent, The Green, pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared at Haverfordwest magistrates court on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Lisa McCormick told magistrates how on Friday, January 2, a couple with their daughter, were travelling through Pembrokeshire on the train, when the mother became engaged in a conversation with a number of males who were passengers in the same carriage.

Shortly before the family were due to change trains at Tenby Railway Station, the defendant, Mr. Rowlands, who was also a passenger on board, became irate towards the lady and started shouting things like "do you think you're better than anyone else?"

The family boarded the next train at the stop, and so did the group of males, along with Mr. Rowlands.

"He continued to direct aggressive comments and foul language towards the husband and wife. The police were contacted and the defendant was arrested at the next stop at Pembroke Railway Station," Miss McCormick explained to the magistrates.

"In a police interview, Mr. Rowlands said he had little recollection of the incident as he had drunk a bottle of Jack Daniels and was heavily intoxicated," she added.

Mr. Rowlands's solicitor, Mr. John Tarrant, told the court that the nature of the allegation was a verbal assault, but that he had been living with a case hanging over his head from over 12 months ago, where he was given an 18-month suspended sentence for possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

"Mr. Rowlands committed this offence whilst on crown court bail. He has two children that he is trying to raise by himself and he began to drink excessively under pressure, so much so that he self referred himself to seek help for his drink problems," said Mr. Tarrant, who also explained that a friend of Mr. Rowlands committed suicide over the Christmas period, which led him to drink even further.

"He is ashamed of his actions and what he's done, and hopefully it's just an isolated issue relating to a great deal of pressure at the time," he added.

After hearing a fast delivery report from the probation service, magistrates elected to give Mr. Rowlands 12 weeks custody, suspended for 12 months, with additional requirements to his previous order of 12 months supervision, with a tagged curfew for six months, between 7 and 7 am.

He was also ordered to pay costs of £85 and an £80 victim surcharge.