A MAN who launched a revenge attack after having a tooth knocked out has been told he came as close as possible to jail without hearing the clang of prison gates.

Christopher Robson was given the maximum number of hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay compensation to his victim, after the assault in Guisborough.

A court heard yesterday that the 20-year-old headbutted and punched Robbie Askew with a knuckle-duster, hours after he had been assaulted in the town.

Robson - whose tooth is still missing - had been set upon by a gang of youths on September 1 last year and thought he recognised one of his attackers later.

Teesside Crown Court heard he was passing a pizza takeaway shop in High Street when he saw 21-year-old Mr Askew sitting alone while waiting for his meal.

CCTV pictures from the shop showed Robson approach Mr Askew and headbutt him before throwing two punches - one with a fist holding the knuckle-duster.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, told the court Mr Askew followed his attacker in his car when he left the take-away. He then alerted the police, who arrested Robson nearby.

Robson tried to throw away his knuckle-duster and later told officers that he thought Mr Askew was looking at him as he passed the shop.

"I thought he was staring at me so I might have stuck a nut on him," said Robson, who admitted charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon.

Peter Wishlade, mitigating, said Robson believes Mr Askew was the man who had earlier attacked him, but Mr Dodds said the victim denies being involved in the incident.

Mr Wishlade said after his client had been attacked earlier in the evening, he went to a cousin's house for a drink, and was given the knuckle-duster.

The Recorder of Middlesbrough, Judge Peter Fox, ordered Robson, of Woodhouse Close, Guisborough, to pay £200 compensation, carry out 300 hours of unpaid work and undergo two years of probation supervision.

The judge told him: "You have come as close to that prison door as anybody ever gets without going through it."