A MAN who threatened a victim to drop charges after damaging his car is behind bars after a judge told him: "Anyone who causes the interference of justice gets custody."

Van driver Gary Donald first tracked down the other man to Teesside Park and kicked his Audi A5.

Nine days later in June last year, Donald encountered him again when he was with his partner in Darlington town centre and made the threats before grabbing him by the throat.

The burly 25-year-old claimed someone else was responsible for the damage to the car, and said: "If that kid gets into trouble, you'll know about it.

"It will be the end of you. We can either drop it or go further."

His victim said he struggled to breathe when Donald throttled him, before his attacker walked off with a friend, Teesside Crown Court heard.

In an impact statement, he said: "The incident has left me shaken up. I thought he was going to attack me further.

"I feel intimidated by him, and believe he was trying to get me to drop the charges.

"I've been scared to go out in public in case I see him, or leave the car unattended in case he causes further damage.

"Every time I see a white van, I fear it is him, and if it is on a roundabout, I will go around twice to see if it is."

Jailing him for 13 months, Judge Simon Hickey told Donald: "You have a number of convictions for eight offences, one of which was for violence.

"I can see from the dock, you are a well-built, powerful young man and that's why you caused this man fear when you squeezed his throat."

Amrit Jandoo, mitigating, said the threat was "an off the cuff remark" and said he felt "aggrieved" at being in court for losing his temper after seeing the victim.

He said Donald's partner gave birth four weeks ago, and the prospect of prison was not something he was looking forward to.

Donald, from Darlington, admitted charges of witness intimidation, assault and criminal damage at an earlier hearing.

Judge Hickey said the £1,200 repair bill for the car was "startling" but said he would not order compensation because he was locking up Donald.

He added: "Threatening witnesses in this way and actually taking hold of one will always result in custody."