A RUNNING battle in a North-East market town came to an end when a teenager smashed a glass in the face of a man who had been plaguing his family and friends.

Simon Reay threw the pint pot at Andrew Barron in the toilets of a pub in Stanhope, County Durham, in April after enduring months of trouble.

In the months before the attack, Barron, 21, and others had been involved in a series of incidents with 19-year-old Reay's family, including one in which Reay's father was shot.

Details of the disputes emerged at Teesside Crown Court yesterday when Reay was sentenced to a 12-month supervision order after admitting unlawful wounding.

Judge Tony Briggs described the situation as "a full-scale running battle" but defence barrister Dan Cordey insisted it was one-sided until the incident at the pub.

At a hearing in August, Barron was ordered to do 150 hours community service after he admitted affray. His friend, Kevin Rowley, 30, was given 170 hours community punishment after he pleaded guilty to common assault.

The court heard that Rowley had chased teenager John Newby across the Market Place with a piece of metal, shouting: "I'm going to kill you" before striking him with it.

When Mr Newby's father and David Reay, 49, went to Rowley's home, Barron climbed onto a garden wall and swung a golf club while an unknown male fired an air rifle and hit Mr Reay.

Tom Mitchell, prosecuting, said Reay, of Bondisle Way, Stanhope, threw the glass at Barron when they were in the Pack Horse Inn, near closing time, on April 16, causing a 1cm cut to his jaw.

Reay was also ordered to pay £400 towards prosecution costs.