An Ipswich man has partly blamed nicotine withdrawal for his decision to scale the roof of a house and throw groceries at passers-by.

Bradley Beaumont was fined £116 for disorderly behaviour after his actions sparked the closure of Greenfinch Avenue for more than three hours on March 26.

The 31-year-old admitted the offence under section five of the Public Order Act at Suffolk Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

Beaumont argued that his struggle to quit smoking had contributed to the sudden outburst – which led to him hurling eggs and sliced meat at people on the ground.

Prosecutor Colette Harper described police being called to reports of a man throwing eggs from the roof of a property in Greenfinch Avenue at about 4pm.

“An officer arrived and witnessed the defendant on the roof,” she added.

“Neighbours had been trying to convince him to come down.

“He took out a box of eggs and pointed one in the direction of a runner. The officer warned the runner what was happening as the defendant threw the egg, which narrowly missed.

“Efforts continued to convince the him to come down, but he then began throwing slices of meat.”

Three-and-a-half hours later, Beaumont chose to climb down, having caused a road closure and the disruption of a major bus route.

When asked to explain the incident, Beaumont replied: “I’d had a rough start to the year.

“I lost my job, which I’ve recently got back following this incident.

“I was trying to stop smoking cigarettes. I couldn’t stop smoking. Every time I smoked, it made things worse, and I was falling out with my family.”

Beaumont added that he had taken steps to address his state-of-mind at the time, including seeing a GP and arranging counselling.

“I’m trying my hardest to look forward positively and not do this again,” he said.

Magistrates told Beaumont his actions had caused a great deal of inconvenience for other members of the public.

He was fined £116, told to contribute £85 towards the cost of prosection and ordered to pay a statutory £30 fee towards victim services.

Disorderly behaviour carries a maximum sentence of a ‘Band C’ fine – or up to 175% of a defendant’s weekly income.