A thug who "arrogantly bullied" a female friend before stealing her television and threatening to set fire to her father's home has been locked up for two years and eight months.

Daniel Howe arrived unexpectedly at Gemma Chantler's home in South Darenth in the early hours with two other men and demanded to be let in.

The 20-year-old, who has more than 20 previous convictions for offences including robbery, assault, possession of a knife and witness intimidation, then subjected Miss Chantler to what a judge described as an abuse of their friendship.

After the 23-year-old repeatedly asked him why he was at her flat at 2am and refused his requests to watch TV, he dragged her tightly by her hand and pushed her into her bedroom.

When she became distressed and started crying, he gripped her hand hard before leaving the room, closing the door and taking her phone.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Miss Chantler could hear laughter outside her door and was unable to open it.

When she finally came out 15 minutes later, her living room window was wide open and her TV and phone were missing.

"The victim was distressed and you took advantage. It is no surprise she feels vulnerable, not least because you were her friend and, despite that, did this to her" - Judge Julian Smith

Prosecutor Bridget Todd said it was during a subsequent call to Howe, asking for her phone to be returned, that he told her he would "burn down her dad's flat" if police were alerted.

Just eight days earlier Howe, of Hollytree Avenue, Swanley, had been given a suspended sentence for harassment and a conditional discharge for threatening behaviour.

When he did meet up with Miss Chantler to return the phone, Miss Todd said Howe was "abusive, aggressive and made further threats".

Howe, said to suffer from severe ADHD, admitted common assault, burglary, intimidation of a witness and a public order offence in August last year.

He was ordered to be locked up for 28 months, plus four months consecutive for the breach of the suspended sentenced.

Judge Julian Smith told him he had acted with "overbearing aggression" in what was a frightening incident for Miss Chantler.

"She was distressed and you took advantage. It is no surprise she feels vulnerable, not least because you were her friend and, despite that, did this to her."

He added that Howe was a young man with "considerable problems" and that his best mitigation was his guilty pleas.

"You are worried about yourself and your future. There is good reason you should be," continued Judge Smith.

"Your severe ADHD may go some way to explain why you have a short fuse but it does not justify it or strongly mitigate it.

"But what is going in your favour is that you are starting to realise things will only get worse if you continue to behave in this way."

Howe thanked the judge before he left the dock.

Craig Evans, defending, said Howe was embarrassed and ashamed of his behaviour towards Miss Chantler, whom he had known for about a year.

The court heard it was not unusual for Howe to go to her home in the early hours. He had no intention of stealing from her but "matters went far further than he anticipated".

Mr Evans said Miss Chantler's injuries were minor bruising and a small scratch, and that taking her TV, which was later dumped behind a tree and found undamaged by police, occurred out of stupidity.

"It was an isolated incident in respect of his relationship with her, which had been a good one," he added.

"It was that friendship which provides the opportunity but also explains why, in drink, he behaved in such an unusual way towards her."

Mr Evans said the threat to burn down her father's home was an empty one made in the heat of the moment.

Howe was convicted of harassment in August last year after breaching a restraining order which banned him from going to the Asda store in Swanley for three years.
It was imposed after he assaulted a security guard.

However, nine days after the order was imposed in July last year he went to the supermarket and became involved in a row with a man and woman.

His conviction for threatening behaviour related to an incident at White Oak Leisure Centre in Swanley when Howe became aggressive towards a group of women.

He was then captured on CCTV as he violently pulled one woman around by her jacket.