A TEENAGER who stole from a group of pupils and threatened to slit one of their parents' throats if they told anyone has been jailed.

Benjamin Parkinson approached the teenagers - aged between 14 and 16 years - in January as they walked home in Tolladine from a youth club, and asked them for a light.

When they told him they didn't have one he searched their pockets and took a games console off one of them.

Parkinson, of Poplar Avenue, Brickfields, appeared before Worcester Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Mark Soper, prosecuting, said: "He found the games console on one of them. He said he would buy it from him for £5 or a fight'."

The court heard one of the boys managed to hide his mobile phone from Parkinson, but when a girl told him she would tell her parents "He said he was going to slit her dad's throat," said Mr Soper.

Police were called and the PSP games console was later recovered.

Mr Soper said Parkinson had also been arrested in August last year after a passer-by noticed two men loitering in the area.

When searched, he had equipment which could be used to steal - which was a breach of his bail terms.

Parkinson admitted causing harassment, alarm and distress in December last year, assaulting a police officer, breaching his conditional discharge, theft and causing fear and violence.

In mitigation, Barry Newton said Parkinson admitted asking them for a light but had been drunk.

For the offence of theft, he was sentenced to six months detention, and for going equipped he was given a two months consecutive sentence. Mr Strongman gave no separate punishments for Parkinson's other crimes.