A ROW over drugs descended into violence when four people fought in the street armed with weapons, including a knife and an extendable baton.

Two men turned up at the door of a couple following a dispute over cannabis and started shouting abuse at them inside their home and challenging them to a fight.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Leanne Douglas and Bradley Vokes came out of their Hartlepool home armed with weapons to confront Callum McKie and Jason McLeod on New Year’s Eve 2020.

Douglas and Vokes responded to the challenge by picking up knives resulting in McKie retrieving an extendable baton from his car and McLeod picking up a bar stool in an attempt to protect himself.

Christine Egerton, prosecuting, said the two men were seen shouting up at the window of Douglas and Vokes’ home before the confrontation descended into armed violence.

She said: “The incident was caught on CCTV and it shows the defendants involved in somewhat of a skirmish. Vokes and Douglas can be seen with knives in their hands as they approach McKie and McLeod.

“McKie can then be seen approaching with a metal baton and knocking Leanne Douglas to the floor. McLeod doesn’t have a weapon in his hand but at one point he has a bar stool in his hand and is walking away from Leanne Douglas.

“That stool was then used as a weapon by Leanne Douglas.”

When police arrived at the scene near Wynyard Road, Hartlepool, they found a 20cm knife and the bar stool which had been broken to pieces.

Douglas, 33, of Wynyard Road, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to affray and possession of a bladed article; 23-year-old Vokes, of Glamis Walk, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to the same charges; McLeod, 26, of Arncliffe Gardens, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to a section 4 public order offence; and 25-year-old McKie, of Dorset Street, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to affray and possession of an offensive weapon.

Nigel Soppitt, on behalf of McLeod, said his client had only gone along to support his friend and was not expecting it to descend into armed-violence.

Chris Knox, representing Vokes, urged the judge to spare his client from an immediate prison sentence as he was ‘still a relatively young man’.

While Stephen Constantine, on behalf of Douglas, said his client didn’t go out looking for trouble ‘those two men came to her house’.

And Shaun Dryden, representing McKie who was sentenced separately after turning up late for court, said his client had turned up for a ‘fist fight’ after threats were made towards him by Vokes.

Judge Jonathan Carroll told McKie it was his behaviour which had resulted in the affray taking place in the middle of the street.

He said: “You were the leading light behind all of this, whatever was said over the telephone between you and Vokes is neither here nor there.

“You chose to get in your car, you chose to go with your mate McLeod and you chose to go in a car which was pre-equipped with a weapon. Within a short space of time, you had that weapon out.

“It was you shouting up to the window offering the others down for a fight; it was all down to you why this happened at all.”

McKie was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and 90 rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) days.

Douglas was given the same suspended sentence and unpaid work with 40 RAR days and a three-month drug rehabilitation requirement order.

Vokes was also given the same suspended sentence and unpaid work but ordered to attend a thinking skills course.

McKie was given a two-year community order and told to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.

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