A DRUNKEN row over damage to a car left a man badly hurt and three others in the dock at crown court.

Stuart McGeachie was knocked out when he was beaten in the street after asking the vehicle's owner what had happened.

The 32-year-old victim suffered a black eye, a cut to the back of his head, and grazing and bruising to his face following the incident in Hartlepool.

Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday that Mr McGeachie was attacked by Paul Stevens and Michael Purcell, both aged 28, on July 8 last year.

The men admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and were sentenced by the Recorder of Middlesbrough, Judge Peter Fox.

Purcell's half-brother, Paul Cowie, 32, from Lancashire, was cleared of the same charge by a jury after a trial last month.

Stevens, of Furness Street, Hartlepool, was given a 12-month conditional discharge, and Purcell, of Nesbit Road, Peterlee, County Durham, was ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid community work.

Judge Fox said he believed Purcell caused "a substantial proportion" of Mr McGeachie's injuries.

The judge told him: "You can think yourself lucky you are not going to prison today."

Patricia Mancina, prosecuting, said Stevens and his two pals were outside his home, looking at damage caused to Mr Cowie's car, when Mr McGeachie walked past and asked: "What's happened here?"

"For some reason, possibly because a substantial amount of alcohol had been taken by just about all the parties involved, the inquiry turned into an argument," said Ms Mancina.

Stevens punched Mr McGeachie to the ground, fearing he was about to attack Mr Cowie. After he got up, Purcell continued the attack and knocked him out.

Ms Mancina said the victim woke up in hospital and had no memory of the assault, but police had captured it on closed circuit television cameras and arrested Stevens at his home within minutes.

Stevens told officers he had "lost it" but Purcell, who was arrested later, denied being at the scene until he was picked out by witnesses in an identification parade