FIVE men were jailed yesterday for a two-hour terror ordeal in which a car driver was threatened with a hammer, a knife, a Samurai sword and a loaded shotgun.

The incident took place after a Ford Sierra Cosworth car was sold to a Teesside man, and was stolen just weeks later.

When the seller, Philip Jones, was seen in an identical car, he was kidnapped, stabbed in the leg with a six-inch knife, hit with a hammer, and was threatened that his fingers and toes would be chopped off with the sword.

He also had a loaded shotgun held a foot away from his head.

After the ordeal, in which he was taken to a house in Hartlepool and then a garage premises in the town, the men made him sign over his latest car to them before releasing him.

Deborah Sherwin, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court that Mr Jones managed to prove he bought the second car from a woman who advertised it for sale, but his kidnappers said it was the original car.

Miss Sherwin said: "Mr Jones said he was terrified and in fear for his life and after that, he did not dare to return back to his home."

At one stage, the gang called another man on a mobile phone and told Mr Jones "he likes killing people".

One man swung the sword at his throat asking "shall I do it now?" but was told "No, we'll all go down for it if you do it here".

Another said: "We can't let him walk away. Either set fire to him or give him a good hiding and take him to Middlesbrough."

Judge Peter Bowers told the five: "On any view, this was despicable, prolonged and very nasty violence.

"He was clearly in fear of his life and you all intended he should be."

The men, all from Hartlepool, expressed their remorse for the incident, which was not premeditated and rapidly got out of hand, said Graham Reeds, defending.

Norman Hay, 30, of Weldeck Road, and Philip Quinn, 36, of Brunel Close, were jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Joseph McGarry, 35, of Raby Gardens, and Ronald Clark, 31, of Challenor Road, were jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Alan Hay, 19, of Patterdale Street, was sentenced to 12 months in a young offenders' institution.

They all pleaded guilty to false imprisonment. Clark, Quinn, and Norman and Alan Hay also pleaded guilty to the kidnap, which took place on February 12 last year.