A WREXHAM man broke into the house of a former friend who owed him money and stole his Xbox as a way of paying off the debt, a court heard.

James Clewley, of Westminster Road in Brynteg, previously admitted robbery and possession of drugs at Mold Crown Court.

The 20-year-old appeared in court again today (Thursday, October 13) for sentencing.

Brian Treadwell, prosecuting, told the court that on August 9 of this year, there had been a dispute between Clewley and the victim, Jack Pythian over a sum of £30.

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They had been 'on friendly terms' for several years leading up to this, the court heard.

The defendant subsequently turned up at the victim's address that evening.

Clewley had sent threatening texts before arriving there and, upon arrival at the house, he told Mr Pythian to 'get out of the f*****g house'.

Clewley also threatened to 'smash windows' and 'slash' Mr Pythian's throat with a knife - although there was no proof that he had such a weapon in his possession.

Soon after, he gained entry into the victim's house through an unsecured window and demanded that he hand his Xbox - worth around £200 - over as a way of re-paying his debt.

When police searched the defendant's house for the Xbox, they also came across some 'wraps' of cannabis.

Simon Rogers, defending, said the cannabis found was in 'really small quantities' and that it was likely to have been for Clewley's 'personal use'.

He added that, although custody was inevitable for Clewley, the defendant had "accepted responsibility for what he has done".

Mr Rogers added that Clewley had seen his period spent in custody to date as a 'wake-up call'.

Judge Rhys Rowlands sentenced Clewley to two years detention in a youth offenders institute. He faced no separate penalty for the possession of cannabis charge.