A WOMAN and teenager from Southampton narrowly avoided jail for their roles in a drug and drink-fuelled brawl on a city street.

The city's crown court heard that a knife was brandished and a bystander who tried to intervened was punched during the fight between Jordan Burke and Catherine Daniels.

Burke, 18, and Daniels, 25, had been at a party on October 19 with a group of friends where both of them drank vodka or rum and snorted lines of cocaine.

The court heard that they left the party at 3am, with Anthony Bailey saying "at that stage it appears they were all getting on fine".

However the court heard that the mood soured when Burke suggested buying more cocaine, and when he then said he didn't have any money Mr Bailey said: "he became more aggressive".

The argument descended into a fight on Teme Crescent in Millbrook, with the two trading blows.

During a hearing at Southampton Crown Court neither said they were the cause of the fight, but Judge Nicholas Rowlands heard that Daniels went inside the house of a friend, Martine Young, on the street.

Mr Bailey added: "Mr Burke was obviously intent on getting hold of her because he kicked at the door and broke a window, with a replacement costing £500."

She then emerged with a knife and the fight continued, with one woman, Joanna O'Reilly, punched as she tried to intervene to break it up.

David Reid, defending, representing Burke said he was retaliating in response to a punch from Daniels, and that he suffered injuries trying to deflect the knife.

Berenice Mulvanny, representing Daniels, said Burke had behaved "like a deranged animal" and at one point had been on top of her with the knife before Mrs O'Reilly intervened, although Burke denied ever holding the weapon.

During the fracas Daniels suffered a deep laceration to her upper arm that required stitches, while Burke suffered wounds to his ear that also required stitches and lacerations to his fingers.

Police were called and both were arrested, and pleaded guilty to affray before being sentenced at the crown court.

At the hearing Mr Reed said Burke, a construction labourer, "accepted his actions were entirely unjustified" adding: "he accepts he was very foolish indeed in drinking so much and taking cocaine".

Ms Mulvanny said Daniels, who works as a cleaner and fast food takeaway worker, was "deeply ashamed and remorseful" of her actions, saying she had "tried to scare" Burke away with the knife.

Judge Nicholas Rowlands said both had a "close shave" in avoiding jail, sentencing Burke to nine months detention, suspended for two years and Daniels to nine months imprisonment, also suspended for two years.

Describing it as a "disgraceful episode" and warning them that they would be sent to prison if they committed any further offences, he also ordered both to attend rehabilitation programmes, carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and pay a £100 victim surcharge.