"Heavily drunk" man hurls abuse at French family and "gave them the finger" near Portsmouth Naval Memorial

The aggressive male was seen gesturing at tourists and other members of the public in Clarence Esplanade, Southsea. Nick Pell, a local army veteran, said he saw the intoxicated man while walking his dog on Southsea Common and had to intervene.

He told The News: “He was sitting on a bench, heavily drunk, swearing and abusing visitors coming into the war memorial. He gave a French family the finger, and they had little children with them. I rang the police.”

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokeswoman confirmed the incident took place at 7pm on September 18 near the war memorial. She said a male “had been seen being verbally abusive towards children”.

“He was asked to stop by a member of the public and left the area,” she added. “No arrests have been made at this time.”

Police previously told The News they have stepped up patrols around Portsmouth Naval Memorial and other military monuments in the days running up to Remembrance Sunday and afterwards. Outrage was sparked after someone used the war memorial as a toilet on Saturday night (November 2), desecrating it with poo and urine.

Earlier this month, police had to step in to stop a “party” on Southsea Common where 50 youths - aged 15 to 17 - had gathered near the monument. Some of them were seen throwing bottles and smashing glass in the vicinity of the memorial, while also urinating on the grounds around it.