A 25-year-old Kidderminster man has been given a conditional discharge for stealing an Xbox console, which he returned 24 hours later.

Henry Loveridge, of Harold Evers Way, Kidderminster, was originally charged with burglary and had spent almost 12 months on bail living out of the area in Aberystwyth because of delays in the judicial process, Worcester Crown Court heard yesterday.

He pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of theft and no further action was to be taken on the burglary charge, dating back to May 6 last year, Jim Dunstan, prosecuting, told the court.

Abigail Nixon, defending, said Loveridge had been in and out of the lower courts, being “a general nuisance”, but had been out of trouble since becoming a father four years ago. She said he had taken the Xbox from an address he was known at in Severn Grove, Kidderminster and then took it back.

Recorder Satinder Hunjan, QC, said Loveridge was originally charged with a much more serious offence of stealing electrical items and jewellery in a burglary and this had been hanging over him for a long time.

He had been caused inconvenience and distress by being bailed to Aberystwyth and for those reasons, Recorder Hunjan said he had decided to take the “relatively exceptional" step of giving him a conditional discharge for 12 months.