A SON threatened to 'f******' kill his mother on Christmas Day after wrongly believing she had taken his Xbox, a court heard.

Alan Bryan Bowers, 44, of St Margaret's Garth, Durham, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and to a public order offence when he appeared before magistrates in Newton Aycliffe.

Keith Laidlaw, prosecuting, said: "Mr Bowers became aggressive when his mother wouldn't allow him access to her property.

"He has threatened her, raising his fist outside the door, banging on the door, shouting 'I'll f******* kill you."

Bowers, who has mental health issues, then smashed the lower pane of the front door, he said.

A victim impact statement from his mother said: "Alan is my son. I try to support him but I can't live with him and it breaks my heart when he acts like this."

Stephen Andrews, mitigating on behalf of Bowers, said he had been severely ill since the start of the year.

At Christmas he had spent a lot of time at his mother's but there had been 'issues' with his behaviour on Christmas Day so his mother suggested he went home to play on his console to help him calm down.

He said: "Mr Bowers had gone back to his to discover the console wasn't there and he got it into his head that his mum has taken the item.

"He knows now it was ridiculous to suggest such a thing."

Bowers' health was now improving and he had been given supported accommodation, he said.

Magistrates fined him £50 and ordered him to pay £50 compensation.