A MACCLESFIELD "eccentric" lobbying the Guinness Book of Records for having the longest pub barring in the world has been sentenced for being drunk and disorderly.

Steve Howard, 57, of Lower Withington, appeared before Macclesfield magistrates also charged with resisting a constable at a trade show in his village.

Magistrates found him guilty after a trial, and sentenced him to 60 hours of community punishment for resisting a constable, with no separate penalty for being drunk and disorderly, and ordered him to pay £400 costs.

The dad-of-three, of Salters Lane, first achieved notoriety by hiring a 13-carriage train to compete against Richard Branson and Virgin to undercut his train fares in 2004.

The bearded entrepreneur – who also lists chimney sweep, builder and DJ as his professions, and has been banned from his local pub The Red Lion for 40 years – pleaded not guilty to the offences, blaming a medical condition for his slurred speech when he was arrested in September.

But after finding him guilty, chairman of the bench Colin Winder told Howard: "If you had admitted these offences in the first place, bearing in mind the overwhelming evidence against you, you would only be facing a conditional discharge or a fine.

"But you have taken this to trial so you must now pay a hefty fine and undergo a community sentence."

The court heard how Howard was in a tent at Lower Withington’s Four Oaks Trade Show in September, when a policewoman requested he turn the music down on a nearby sound system, which a worker did.

But as PC Christina Robinson was leaving, the volume was turned up again and when she returned, Howard became "aggressive" and she arrested him.

Neil Audley, prosecuting, told Howard: "You say you had only had one-and-a-half pints but I say that this made you drunk."

Howard told the court: "I would usually have one-and-a-half pints for breakfast, I wasn’t drunk."

The court heard from PC Robinson, who said she found him "drunk and aggressive".

She said: "I had a complaint at 5.45pm and found Mr Howard by a karaoke machine which was on very loud. I asked him to turn it down but as I walked away it was turned back up again.

"I had given him a warning earlier for asking for money for flowers and, as I approached, he staggered over and hurt his hand.

"He then pushed me away and smeared blood on my shirt and coat."

The court heard Howard was taken into custody and Sergeant Jonathan Chambers found him to be "drunk but not very drunk and only bordering on aggressive."

John Gallagher, defending, told the court the sound system did not belong to his client, but other men in the tent.

He added: "Unfortunately for the officer, she had difficulties speaking to these men so she jumped to the conclusion that the music was down to Mr Howard."

He said: "Mr Howard is eccentric, but PC Robinson put her hands on him without basis and prior to his arrest, and it would seem to me that the officer had genuinely made a mistake in blaming him for the music."

Speaking after the hearing, Howard said: "I feel victimised."