A DJ from York faces serving 400 hours community service in Croatia after being convicted of selling drugs during a music festival.

Andrew Bird, 28, of Gale Lane, Acomb, denied all the charges but the municipal court in Buje at western Croatian peninsula of Istria found him guilty earlier this year.

His father Kevin said yesterday his defence lawyer had unsuccessfully argued that he had been unlawfully arrested by police during the festival in September 2013, partly because his rights had not been read out in English or translated into English.

Mr Bird said the length of the sentence took account of the four months Andrew spent in custody until he was released on bail in January this year.

However, the prosecution had appealed against the sentence, which it considered lenient, and Andrew was now awaiting consideration of the appeal next year.

He added that while his son still maintained his innocence, he was prepared to return to Croatia to serve the community service, and just wanted to put the matter behind him.

A court spokeswoman said the appealing process took time, because all the decisions had to be translated and sent via diplomatic post, and she could not say when the regional court in Pula would make a decision.

The Press reported in January that the Croatian authorities alleged they had found a variety of drugs on Mr Bird and when police searched the flat where he was staying, they found more drugs, including cocaine.

But Mr Bird said then that his son, a former Woldgate College pupil who is a well-known DJ on the house music scene, had made a formal complaint to a British vice consul in Croatia about his treatment in the days after his arrest in theCroatian town of Rovinj.

His son claimed police had carried out a search of his villa without a warrant, and a police officer had successfully pressurised him to sign documents which had not been translated into English.

He said then that his son did not deny possessing the drugs for personal use, which carried a fine, but denied ever selling drugs.