A MAN has escaped jail for the second time for his part in a gang attack on Chinese students.

Jamie Kendra, 18, and two other people armed themselves with pieces of wood pulled from a fence before taunting and shouting abuse outside their victims' home in Barkston Avenue, Chapelfields, York, it was stated at York Crown Court.

Nigel Wray, prosecuting, said they used racist words and threw wood at the students when they responded to the abuse and came out into their garden.

The court was told that in April last year Kendra, of Barkston Avenue, Chapelfields, was ordered to do 120 hours' community punishment after he admitted committing a racially-aggravated public order offence on August 12, 2000.

But the probation service sent him back to court because he only completed half the order and on ten occasions made excuses not to do the work.

He admitted breaching the court order.

His barrister, Sam Green, said Kendra was a hypochondriac with a lack of willpower who exaggerated the medical problems he did have.

He had a "sensitive stomach" when travelling and found the hour's journey to and from the community punishment workplace difficult.

But after being told he could be jailed for not doing the order, he was now willing to do it and his health was up to it.

Recorder David Dobbin told him to get on with the community punishment, fined him £50, and warned him that if he breached the order again he would face jail.

Updated: 11:26 Tuesday, February 26, 2002