A YOUTH hurled a brick at a car and made racist comments after being chased by a group of men into an alleyway, a court heard yesterday.

The incident started after the 15-year-old shouted racial abuse through the window of Faisal Miah's car, which was parked in North Lodge Terrace, Darlington, the town's youth court was told.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, cycled to Gladstone Street, where minutes later he was confronted by Mr Miah and other men in his car.

Derek Walton, prosecuting, said the boy began to shout racial abuse again and the four men in the car began to shout back. The teenager then started to kick the back of the car and throw stones.

Magistrates heard that the car followed the youth into an alleyway near Greenbank Road.

"The teenager went into a back yard of a house and came out with a brick and began swinging it as if to throw it," said Mr Walton.

Chris Bunting, in mitigation, said: "The language being used by the other four men was inappropriate and they were using racist language towards my client."

The teenager admitted causing damage to the car and using racially aggravated threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

He was given a four-month referral order and ordered to pay £35 costs.