A MAN has been jailed after he took the law into his own hands following a scrap at a Valentine's night party.

David Hillman went to his sister's place to recruit a posse, including her boyfriend and another pal, who tooled themselves up with rounders bats.

The four then returned to the bash, at someone's house, and set about the man he had been fighting with in the bathroom.

But after the victim grabbed a knife from a block in the kitchen and lashed out, stabbing 20-year-old David three times, the police were called in.

And Hillman, his sister Julia, 21, her boyfriend Liam Thomas, 26, and Jordan Dodson, 22, all found themselves charged with assault.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court that Hillman had gone to the party on Pinehurst Road on Saturday, February 14, last year.

The host had about 10 to 12 guests, she said, one of whom was Hillman who she did not know well but thought was a nice person.

During the evening he and fellow party goer Greg Brown got into a fight in the bathroom which was so violent the cistern was smashed.

Hillman then went to see his sister and returned to the party with her along with Thomas and Dodson, who were each armed with wooden bats.

After going back into the house Julia ranted and raged at the victim, getting right in his face, before the others waded in.

They set about Mr Brown in the kitchen, knocking him to the floor before punching and kicking him when he was down, with Julia landing a stamp.

He was also struck with the wooden bats leaving him with a wound to the top of his scalp, Miss Hingston said.

During the fracas he grabbed the small knife and jabbed at David Hillman as he was on the floor being beaten, stabbing him twice to the chest and once to the shoulder.

The four attackers then left the house but Hillman collapsed outside and was taken to hospital by ambulance to have his wounds tended to, and medics called the police.

Mr Brown was also taken to hospital and had sutures applied in the injury to top of his head.

David, of Cricklade Road, and Julia, of Doris Archer Court, admitted unlawful wounding.

Thomas, of Doris Archer Court and Jordan Dodson, of Cunningham Road, admitting wounding with intent to cause GBH and possessing offensive weapons.

Rob Ross, for the Hillmans and Thomas, said David was bullied at school so when he came in covered in blood his sister and her partner wanted to do something about it.

Both Hillmans had no previous convictions, he said, and accept that they should not have gone back to the party.

He said David getting stabbed brought that home to them and they are amazed that Mr Brown was not charged with anything as a result of the incident.

Thomas, he said, had a lengthy criminal record and accepted he faced jail but was just fed up with David getting knocked about.

Sam Arif, for Dodson, said he went along with the others and though he has previous convictions he has not been in trouble in the 14 months since the incident.

Jailing David for eight months Judge Tim Mousley QC said: "You played a leading part in all this because you took the law into your own hands and it was you who recruited others."

He imposed sentences of three years and four months on Thomas and Dodson and 18 weeks suspended for 18 months on Julia.