CHESTER man Mark Quinn "acted in drunken stupidity" when he grabbed a police evidence bag containing cocaine during a late night incident and ran off down the street with it.

The drug had been recovered from his brother, Liam Quinn, who had been seen to be fighting using a knuckle-duster.

Mold Crown Court was told how Liam Quinn was seen wearing the weapon on his right hand as he threw punches at another male in Rhyl town centre.

He was then seen to remove it and place it in his pocket as he grappled with the other man on the floor.

Police recovered the knuckle duster which fell to the ground and they also recovered some cocaine, a class A drug.

But as an officer was placing the drug in an evidence bag Mark Quinn grabbed it and ran off down the street with it, saying the cocaine was his.

He was chased and tackled, threw them across the road but they were recovered.

Liam Quinn, 27, of Brynmor Avenue, Rhyl, admitted threatening behaviour, possessing cocaine and possessing the knuckleduster as an offensive weapon and received a six month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He was placed on a three month tagged curfew to keep him indoors between 9pm and 5am and he was fined £250 with £180 costs and a £140 surcharge.

His brother Mark Quinn, 25, of Welsh Road, Dodleston, Chester, admitted possessing cocaine and obstructing police and was fined £600 with £100 costs and a £50 surcharge.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said Liam Quinn had become involved in an incident in Sussex Street, Rhyl, in the early hours.

The judge said he did not know what had gone on before but Liam Quinn had armed himself with a knuckle-duster and punches were exchanged with another while he was wearing it.

They ended up on the floor and they continued to grapple as officers intervened.

The weapon and the cocaine were recovered – at which point Mark Quinn managed to grab the bag containing the cocaine and started to make off with it.

"Fortunately for you, you were stopped, put to the ground and the bag recovered.

"Had you succeeded and run off with the cocaine you would have been charged with perverting the course of justice and would have gone straight to prison.

"This was remarkable stupidity on your part," he told Mark Quinn.

Police were on hand and contained the incident in a professional manner.

Judge Rowlands told Liam Quinn that he rejected the nonsense he had put forward about the knuckle duster – that he found it and took it out with him that night in order to try and sell it.

He had used it in drunken aggression towards another man.

But the defendant was a working, family man with no previous convictions.

Judge Rowlands said he should think long and hard about his two daughters aged six and three before he went out and got drunk in the future.

He warned him that he had escaped immediate imprisonment by the skin of his teeth.

The court heard the brothers had been out celebrating Liam Quinn's birthday.

Liam Quinn in interview apologised for his behaviour and told police it was pathetic for a man with children to be involved in fighting in the street, said barrister Simon Rogers, defending.

He had no previous convictions and had acted "entirely out of character".

Mark Quinn said he grabbed the cocaine from an officer because it was his. It was expensive and he did not want the police to have it.

His barrister, Elen Owen, said her client would not be in the crown court but for the involvement of his brother.

He had no previous convictions and references spoke highly of him.

It was, she said, "an incident of drunken stupidity" motivated by wanting to help his brother.