THREE men who took the law into their own hands after spotting youths vandalising a car found themselves charged with child kidnapping.

Robin Alderson, Vincent Pavey and Jeffrey Maxwell, from Darlington, had been driven to take desperate measures after enduring taunts from youths on the estate where they lived.

But Teesside Crown Court heard how the trio made a terrible mistake when they tried to carry out a citizens' arrest on youngsters who had dented Mr Maxwell's car.

They bundled a 15-year-old boy into a car and drove him to the nearest police station - but then discovered they had got the wrong person.

The station, in Cockerton, was unmanned so the teenager was driven back to the spot where he had been picked up.

He was uninjured but shocked and the police were called. A few days later all three men were charged with kidnapping and abducting a child.

Earlier this month, the charges against Mr Maxwell and Mr Pavey were left to lie on the file and both were bound over to keep the peace for a year.

Alderson, 45, of Elvet Place, who pleaded guilty to affray, was yesterday sentenced to 200 hours of community service at Teesside Crown Court and ordered to pay the youngster £400 compensation. In the light of this, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to proceed with the abduction and kidnapping charge against him.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said Alderson, a self-employed joiner, had been carrying a crowbar and had terrified the youngster by shouting abuse during the incident in February this year.

The boy told police: "Robin was going mad, swearing, raising his voice and acting like a lunatic."

Another witness, a 16-year-old, told officers: "I've never felt as scared in all my life."

Peter Makepeace, mitigating, said Alderson had been driven to his wit's end by anti-social youths on his estate and had finally snapped when he saw the act of vandalism. "He accepts that his behaviour was utterly unacceptable."

Judge George Moorhouse told the father-of-one he had committed a serious offence by taking the law into his own hands. "It's quite clear that because of the anti-social behaviour which you and no doubt others had to put up with, it had a very bad effect on you."

Last night, two of the men said they had simply been making a citizen's arrest and felt let down by the police and the court.

Mr Pavey, 40, also of Elvet Place, said they were plagued by rowdy youths on the estate. "We are the injured party in this," he said. "Our property is getting damaged and we are supposed to stand and let the kids do the damage.

"They arrested us but they never arrested the people who were causing the damage."

Mr Maxwell, 35, of Warwick Square, added: "He was never in any danger. We thought it would have been laughed out of court."