TWO brothers have been jailed for a revenge attack on a man they believed had damaged a car belonging to one of their girlfriends.

Wayne Reed, 20, repeatedly hit Craig Cooper over the head with a golf club in the late-night assault in Hartlepool last December.

His brother Jackie Reed, 24, was with him but did not strike any blows, and ordered him to stop when the beating went too far.

Mr Cooper needed emergency surgery after doctors discovered two fractures causing damage to his brain, and still suffers from loss of concentration and mood swings.

Judge Leslie Spittle told the brothers: "Those who take the law into their own hands and use violence towards other people face the inevitable consequences."

Wayne Reed, of Bruce Crescent, admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Jackie Reed, of Smyth Place, admitted causing grievous bodily harm, and was locked up for two years.

Judge Spittle added a further three months to Jackie Reed's sentence for a breach of a 12-month order imposed last November for previous offences, including having a bladed instrument.

Rebecca Young, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court yesterday that Mr Cooper was returning from a weekend-long party in the early hours of Sunday, December 12, when he was attacked on the town's West View estate.

The court heard how Wayne Reed struck him repeatedly over the head with a metal golf club and left him cowering in the road.

Alasdair Campbell, mitigating, described Wayne Reed as "an affable, polite, hard-working young man with some talent" and added: "It is regrettable that he finds himself in this lamentable position today."

Mr Campbell said his client saw his partner in a distressed state and blamed Mr Cooper - her former boyfriend - for vandalising her car.

Wayne Reed was seen by witnesses to put on camouflage clothes, arm himself with the golf club and shout up the street: "I'm going to wrap this around his neck."

He then pushed a yellow off-road motorbike to his brother's house nearby and they went off in search of Mr Cooper.

Jackie Reed's barrister, Paul Cleasby, said: "He did not appreciate the offence was going to escalate the way it did.

"He physically did not take part in any of the violence, and put a stop to it when it was getting out of hand."