A WEALTHY nightclub tycoon appeared in court yesterday in connection with possession of class A drugs.

Keith Gibbon is a partner in Lazi Leisure, which owns a string of other North-East nightspots.

The 58-year-old was said to be "ashamed an humiliated" as he admitted possessing 3.79g of cocaine at Newcastle Crown Court.

The court heard how Gibbon was approached by officers with a warrant to search his home in Montague Avenue, Gosforth, on March 26.

Tom Moran, psoecuting, said: "When they got to his home he opened the door and sprinted upstairs. As he ran into the main bedroom towards a windowsill and grabbed a plastic bag that contained the cocaine and made for the en suite bathroom.

"Police officers were quick enough to stop him in what he appears to have intended to do, namely flush the cocaine away."

The court heard how Gibbon said that a "female visitor" had left the drug, which had a street value of about £100.

James Adams, mitigating for Gibbon, said the drug conviction should make "no difference at all" to Gibbon's applications to renew licences at his various premises.

He became involved in nightclubs in the 1960s and Lazi Leisure enterprises include Annabels, in Sunderland, and Julies 2, in Newcastle. Other clubs in the group include Idols fun bars, Pravda bar-cafes and CubaCuba

Judge Richard Lowden fined Gibbon £400 and ordered him to pay £414 costs.

The judge said: "Cocaine ruins people's lives - usually the people who take it. You better make sure it doesn't ruin your life by appearing on your record again."