A MAN with mental health problems climbed on to the roof of flats in Stonehouse and dropped bottles of wine on to the ground below during a four-hour stand-off, a court heard.

Plymouth Magistrates' Court was told that 29-year-old David Dunwell sat on top of flats in St Mary Street while police tried to talk him down.

Dunwell, of St Pancras Avenue in Pennycross, admitted threatening behaviour on July 17.

Michael French, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said that Dunwell had been drinking heavily after taking medication for a mental health condition.

He added that Dunwell told police he had not slept for four days.

Mr French said that Dunwell climbed up on to the roof of St Mary Street flats in Stonehouse 'with a bottle of wine in both hands'.

He added: "He then started to throw the bottles down."

Mr French said that police negotiators spent four hours trying to talk him down.

Roger Page, for Dunwell, said that he was under the care of a community psychiatric nurse.

He added that he was depressed after splitting from his wife and heard voices telling him to climb on to the roof.

Mr Page said that instead of calling the out-of-hours psychiatric team he started drinking. He added that he was suicidal on the roof and repeatedly threatened to throw himself off.

District judge Paul Farmer told Dunwell that he had caused the police a lot of 'cost and concern' after taking alcohol on top of his medication.

But he added that he had spent a weekend in custody and was already receiving psychiatric help.

Mr Framer imposed a conditional discharge of 12 months.