A POTENTIALLY violent confrontation almost got 'out of hand' when weapons were brought out to settle the dispute.

As a result of the altercation two men have jailed for their roles in the disorder which erupted between the two different parties.

Teesside Crown Court heard how a blue Peugeot turned up at an address on Thornaby where George Champley was visiting a friend.

Jane Waugh, prosecuting, said Leon Thompson, was the passenger in the car, armed himself with a wheel brace after Champley came out of the house with an axe.

The confrontation came to a head at around 8.15pm on June 5 last year, she said.

Miss Waugh added police were called by a concerned member of the public who witnessed the pair square up to each other but there were no blows exchanged by any of those involved.

She said: "He (Champley) used the axe to smash the windows of the Peugeot and then threw it in the back of his van to get rid of it."

Champley, 28, of Lanehouse Road, Thornaby, and 24-year-old Thompson, of Scarborough Street, Thornaby, both pleaded guilty to affray at the first opportunity.

A third man is expected to stand trial at Teesside Magistrates' Court.

Paul Green, representing father-of-two Champley, urged the judge to pass a suspended sentence for his client.

He said: "He accepts his part in this matter, it is right to say that the rear window was smashed and he accepts that happened.

"He was at a friend's house and that house was approached by a number of individuals and he goes out and stands for a short period of time without a weapon before then goes and gets one – things got out of hand and he damaged the vehicle.

"There was no fighting between the members of the groups."

And Michele Turner, mitigating on behalf of Thompson, said: "This wasn't his argument and to this day still doesn't know what it was about.

"He said he was in the car when the matter started and got out of the car when it escalated and he did arm himself with a wheel brace that was in the car.

"There was no violence from Thompson, it was grand posturing for the most part."

The judge, Recorder Jonathan Sandiford discounted both legal representatives' plea to suspend the sentence and jailed the pair for eight months.

"There has been a set-to; there was a good deal of posturing," he said. "There was an axe produced by you, Champley, and there was a wheel brace taken out of the car by you, Thompson, and there was another metal bar produced by another man.

"The only use of a weapon was by you, Champley, using the axe to smash the rear window of the car.

"There was no other actual violence but there was of course a degree of fear and distressed caused by the incident."