STAFF at a primary school watched in horror as armed yobs tried to kick their way into a neighbouring house and shouted death threats at the occupant.

One teacher described twins Ricky and Simon Munro and their friend Stuart Wright as behaving like a pack of wolves as they attempted to get at Gareth Swainston.

Mr Swainston was in a house close to Dodmire Infants School in Darlington when the trio went looking for revenge for an earlier altercation on December 18.

Teesside Crown Court heard that he had accused Simon Munro of a burglary and attacked him, then belted Ricky Munro with a baseball bat when he got involved.

The diminutive 20-year-old twins recruited burly Wright, 25, and he went with them to seek retribution, Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, told the court.

The 10.30am confrontation was witnessed by staff from the school, who told police the three men waved weapons around and repeatedly kicked the front door.

They shouted threats outside the property and through the letterbox before going around the back of the house where they came face-to-face with another occupant.

A teaching assistant said in a statement: "Their behaviour was similar to a pack of wolves acting in a gang, clearly trying to get to someone in the addeess to cause them harm."

When police got to the house, they arrested the attackers in an alleyway and recovered a screwdriver and a wooden broom handle from the scene, said Mr Dryden.

The three, all from Darlington, admitted affray and were given four-month prison sentences, suspended for two years, with Probation Service supervision.

Judge Peter Fox, QC, also ordered them to do 300 hours' unpaid work after telling them: "You got as close as anyone ever gets to the prison door without going through it."

Dan Cordey and Stephen Thornton, mitigating, told the court that the twins, of Stockmore Close, have had to endure bullying and taunts throughout their lives.

Mr Cordey, for Ricky Munro, said he accepted that he did wrong in getting involved, but suffered a fractured elbow when he was hit with the baseball bat.

Mr Thornton added: "Simon Munro was accused of burgling the complainant's house, and did a very, very foolish thing which he now regrets."

James Kemp, for father-of-three Wright, said: "He associated himself with something that was not of his concern. He expresses his regret for undertaking such a role."