Two youths who shot a teenager in the eye leaving her blind in one eye have been jailed.

Schoolgirl Nicola Diston was left screaming in agony with blood streaming down her face when a pellet went through her eyelid and lodges itself in her skull as she made her way home from an evening out with friends in Leam Lane, Gateshead.

The 15-year-old was rushed to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, where x-rays revealed she had been shot with an airgun.

Yesterday Daniel Lumsden, 18, from Donside, Gateshead, and 17-year-old, Damon Davison, from Sheraton, Gateshead, were brought to court for sentencing after pleading guilty to wounding at an earlier hearing at Newcastle Crown Court.

Judge David Hodson sentenced Lumsden to two-and-a-half years behind bars and Davison to 18 months for the attack which he said had led to Nicola's life being "completely ruined."

Prosecutor Penny Moreland told the court that the pair had been drinking lager and messing around with the airgun, when they shot Nicola.

The pair were arrested a short time later and Lumsden admitted he had fired the gun which hit Nicola.

Miss Moreland added: "He said he put the barrel through the fence to help keep it up. He had hold of the trigger and turned away to talk to one of his friends.

"Someone shouted 'now', he panicked and pulled the trigger. He recalls Davison saying 'shoot her in the foot' but he had not been aiming at anything in particular."

Davison admitted to police he had been urging Lumsden to shoot the girl's trainer.

Defence barrister Julian Smith, for Davison, said he accepted he had said 'shoot her', but added: "He accepts shared responsibility for a tragic outcome, a prank that went horribly wrong."

Judge Hodson added: "What happened demonstates the gross irresponsibility of playing with weapons such as this dangerous air rifle, which was unsafe in itself, being handled by people who have had too much to drink."

Before sentencing Davison to 18 months Judge Hodson explained that the maximum sentence for a juvenile who pleads guilty to wounding is a two-year detention and training order.

Judge Hodson said: "If I had a free hand I would seriously have in mind a longer sentence than the one I intend to pass."

Speaking after the hearing Nicola said: "I am over the moon. I'm just glad it's all over so I can get on with my life."