A DRUNK seen with blood around his mouth in the street had a CS gas canister in his jeans pocket, a court heard.
Shaun Coffey, 39, was found unsteady on his feet and smelling of alcohol when police arrived on Ford Street, Burnley, after reports of a disturbance on August 26.
Coffey, who also had blood on his left eyebrow, told officers he had cut himself. He was arrested after the weapon was found.
The town’s crown court was told the reports police received initially suggested somebody had a knife. Coffey, who has 19 offences on his record, for violence, public disorder and dishonesty, had been drinking vodka.
Coffey, also said to have mental health issues, had admitted possessing a weapon designed for the discharge of a noxious liquid and had been committed for sentence by magistrates. The defendant, of St Andrew’s Street, Burnley, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for a year, with 12 months’ supervision.
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