A MAN has been jailed for six months for organising a sickening dog fight in a North-East back street.

James Harland, 21, was also disqualified from owning animals for ten years after pleading guilty to procuring a dog fight, at Teesside Magistrates' Court yesterday.

The court heard that he and his friend, Daniel Tate, co-owned an illegal pitbull terrier, called Chico, in January last year.

As part of its dog fighting training, they either stole or found a smaller Staffordshire bull terrier, which they used as bait for their own dog.

They then encouraged the dogs to fight in an alley behind King Street, in South Bank, Middlesbrough, in the knowledge that Chico would win.

A handful of other people were present at the fight, which was recorded on a mobile phone camera.

It was then circulated to a number of people, including one who decided to report the incident to the police and RSPCA.

John Ellwood, prosecuting, said an investigation was launched and, in April last year, Harland and Tate were traced.

When officers found Chico at Tate's home, he had recent and old bite marks around his head and body.

However, they were unable to find the smaller dog or trace its owners.

Harland was arrested, and he acknowledged that he went by the nickname Jimbo, but refused to answer any other questions.

However, he pleaded guilty to the dog fighting offence yesterday, as well as causing £800 criminal damage by smashing windows, and two offences of failing to surrender to bail.

Tate, 20, of George Street, Redcar, has previously been sentenced to five months for his part in the dog fight.

Mr Ellwood said Harland clearly featured on the four-minute video of the dog fight, with another Patterdale terrier type dog, which was also found at his house.

But when the dog fight was played back for magistrates yesterday, Harland, of Bevanlee Road, South Bank, asked to leave the court as he did not want to hear the sickening sounds.

In mitigation, solicitor John Nixon said: "My client is full of shame.

"He does wish he could turn the clock back. He appreciates he is going to be punished and he accepts whatever punishment is passed down on him today. He accepts that he will be disqualified from keeping animals for a period of ten years, the same as Tate.

"During that period, he will grow up and learn and, hopefully, grow a deeper appreciation for the rights of animals."

Harland was sentenced to 22 weeks for the dog fight, 12 weeks for criminal damage, to run concurrently, and four weeks for each of the bail offences, one of them to run consecutively, giving a total of 26 weeks in prison.

The court was told Chico could not be rehomed, so had to be destroyed.