POLICE and paramedics attended to a man drifting in and out of consciousness at the Monkland St taxi rank after an all-in brawl on April 17.

Corey and Luke Sargent were among the large group of people waiting for taxis early on the Sunday morning and Luke came forward and admitted hitting the man.

It was believed Corey defended his brother but did not lay a punch.

The twins were charged with committing a public nuisance and faced Gympie Magistrates Court this week.

Police prosecutor Acting Sergeant Lisa Manns asked for the brothers, 20, to be dealt with by way of probation and for Corey to be re-sentenced for prior street offences and to pay good behaviour bonds worth $1400.

“I’m sure people are sick of reading in The Gympie Times about alcohol- fuelled violence occurring while people are waiting for a taxi,” she told the court.

In his defence, Luke said the injured man hit him first and he was only sticking up for himself.

Magistrate Maxine Baldwin said she could see that by the charge laid.

“If it wasn’t an all-in brawl you would have been charged with assault,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter. If he had died, you would be looking at spending years in jail.”

Luke defended his brother, saying he only got involved to spare him being beaten up, however the court heard it was Corey’s fifth time before the court for a public nuisance offence.

He also had two good behaviour bonds hanging over his head at the time of the latest offence.

“One of these silly, angst, alcohol-fuelled nights and he’s going to end up in prison,” Sgt Manns said.

She asked for Corey to be sentenced to between one and three months in prison.

The court-appointed defence solicitor Matthew Post said his client had retaliated when his brother was hit in the brawl, but Mrs Baldwin said she was concerned that Corey was “starting to amass a bit of criminal history”.

“It’s not worth the risk of one punch – it can kill,” she said.

Corey, of Gympie, was ordered to pay the bonds, to the amount of $1400, and was placed on probation for nine months.

Luke, of Gympie, was placed on probation for six months.