JACQUELINE Wilson was spared a jail sentence on Friday after being convicted of assaulting a Darlington man who was on bail after being convicted of raping her two daughters when they were children.

Mrs Wilson "snapped" after tracking down Cameron McIvor to his Darlington home, punching, kicking him and threatening to castrate him with a razor.

She received a 12-month prison sentence but it was suspended for 18 months. McIvor was locked up for seven years.

It would be wrong to condone anyone taking the law into their own hands. It is a perilous path to tread.

But which parent, in their heart of hearts, can say they would not have acted in exactly the same way if their children had been abused so horrifically?

It is also right to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the extraordinary courage of Mrs Wilson's daughters Clare, 18, and Samantha, 20, who waived their right to anonymity as rape victims in order to support their mother's case.

And one final point: Why was a man convicted of raping children on bail in the first place?

THE year 2001 has the potential to be a very good vintage for Darlington.

As we have already highlighted in The Northern Echo, the bid to bring national Britain in Bloom glory to the town is looking favourable.

Darlington Football Club's fantastic new stadium will be built by the end of the year and the team has already beaten arch rivals Hartlepool United away from home. Nice one!

Meanwhile, the Orange Festival, which came to a climax last Monday, was hailed as the best ever.

The festival certainly was impressive and it was wonderful to see thousands of people converging on the town to enjoy a varied and colourful programme of entertainment.

Darlington market place on a summer's evening, with people dancing in the open air, and generally having a good time is a pleasure to see.

And it was great for The Northern Echo to report that there wasn't a single arrest.

Here's to next year's festival - bigger, better, just as peaceful, and more fun than ever.