THREE men have been jailed for their parts in a double attack on an innocent bystander who got caught up in a row.

Recorder Anton Lodge locked up Teesside men Peter Gibbon and Brian Bennett for 18 months and their friend Richard Weighell for a year yesterday.

The judge described the attacks as serious after hearing Graeme Gaston, prosecuting, outline the case at Teesside Crown Court.

Mr Gaston said Bennett had gone to the Redcar home of a woman who was looking after the daughter of his ex-girlfriend, and demanded to take her.

When the woman refused to hand over the girl, she and Bennett argued and she threw him out of the house.

Bennett returned to the area two hours later with Gibbon and went to a house two doors away where the woman's partner was with a friend. He attacked one of the men with a lump of wood.

The pair were arrested the following day, but three weeks later Gibbon, armed with two knives, and Weighell turned up at the victim's house again and threatened him.

After fleeing from the house, the victim was caught and pinned down by another attacker and Gibbon held the weapons to his chest and warned: "Drop the charges within 24 hours or these are going to be stuck in you."

At previous hearings, Gibbon, 26, of Malham Gill, Redcar, admitted affray and witness intimidation.

Bennett, 26, of Langley Road, Redcar, admitted unlawful wounding and Weighell, 28, of no fixed abode, admitted witness intimidation.

Peter Sabiston, for Gibbon, said: "These were actions of a man whose life was in turmoil and decided to side with a friend in a way that was completely inappropriate."

Nigel Soppitt said his client Bennett was "plainly intoxicated" after drinking four bottles of sherry and taking six Ecstasy pills as well as prescribed anti-depressants.

David Lamb said his client Weighell was the least involved, kicking the man as he lay on the ground.

But he said he had initially "tried to have a quiet word with him" about dropping the charges.