Three people who brutally attacked a man in his home have been jailed

Richard Dickson, Melissa McGarry and Shaun Walton have all be jailed for causing grievous bodily harm after they attacked a man at his home in Peterlee in November 2017.

At sentencing, Durham Crown Court heard the victim had returned home to find furniture had been moved and when he went to check the back door, it was ajar.

On opening it he saw all three of the defendants, who he recognised.

They chased him into the house and upstairs where they cornered him in a bedroom and beat him with a wooden curtain pole before throwing him down the stairs.

The victim was also punched repeatedly and suffered a catalogue of injuries including a broken arm, hand, ribs, fractured foot and bruising to his arm and head.

The victim managed to escape and saw the defendants drive away in a Ford Focus.

The attack left the victim with post traumatic stress disorder and he continues to suffer some physical injuries as well.

In a victim impact statement read out in court on Friday February 14, he said he has lived in “absolute fear” of further assaults or repercussions while he is also unable to relax and sleep.

Walton, 33, pleaded guilty to a charge of GBH and witness intimidation while Dickson, 31 and McGarry, 27, were found guilty of GBH after a trial.

Walton, of Laybourne Terrace, Stockton, was sentenced to four years and one month in prison.

Dickson, of Burnett Crescent, Kelloe, was sentenced to five years behind bars while McGarry, of the same address, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison.

Detective Constable, John Forster, who led the investigation, said: “This was a horrendous attack on a man in his own home and which has had a lasting impact on him.

“I am pleased the judge saw fit to impose lengthy prison sentences to reflect the severity of the crimes, especially as Dickson and McGarry refused to admit the their parts in it by pleading not guilty.”