£200 fine for pruning palm tree in early hours 

Pruning a palm tree in the early hours of the morning has landed a Douglas man with a £200 fine. 

Police were called to 49-year-old Jonathan Richard Fletcher's home on Derby Road at 1.45am on Saturday. 

It followed complaints from neighbours after he was spotted using a hacksaw to cut away the tree's branches. 

At Douglas Courthouse earlier this week Fletcher admitted damaging the tree which belonged to his landlord. 

Fletcher's advocate described the offence as 'bizarre' saying his client had significant 'personality issues' - and adding it was his intention to make a bird feeder.  Sentencing Fletcher Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes asked him: "What on earth possessed you to make a bird feeder out of a tree in the early hours of the morning?"

She also ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £125 and £100 in compensation to his landlord.