A MAN who swung a crowbar at police officers has been jailed for six months.

John George Mains, 47, smashed a chair and threatened the officers with it before moving into a kitchen, picking up the 4ft metal bar and swinging it.

Officers were called to the defendant's address, a guesthouse in Greenbank Road, Darlington, following a dispute at the property, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Police arrived to find the defendant's girlfriend and her daughter outside the guesthouse. A neighbour had called the police after seeing them outside arguing, the court heard.

Peter Sabiston, prosecuting, said the defendant had locked himself in the house but the police managed to gain entry.

"He says, 'If you want threatening, I'll give you threatening'," said Mr Sabiston.

The defendant then picked up a chair, smashed it against the wall and brandished it towards police. One of the officers used pepper spray, but this made the defendant more agitated, the court heard.

Mains moved into the kitchen and when the officers followed him, he was holding a 4ft crow- bar and waving it around.

He swung it, narrowly missing one of the officers before the police restrained and handcuffed him.

At the time of the offence, Mains, who pleaded guilty to affray, was subject to a nine- month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for actual bodily harm.

Dan Cordey, mitigating, told the court the defendant and his girlfriend were now reconciled.

He added that an experienced probation officer had judged that Mains would benefit from a course to help him change his behaviour.

Mains was ordered to serve three months of his suspended sentence and sentenced to three months for affray, to run consecutively.