A BURGLAR who stole his children's Christmas presents after a row with his partner has been jailed.

Joshua Seivwright, aged 28, smashed a kitchen window then took the PlayStation game controllers from the house where his children stayed in Newport, a court heard.

His partner Katie Thomas told him not to go back to the house in George Street after the argument but he said to her: "If you're not going to let me in, I'll break in. "You've ruined my Christmas, so I'll ruin yours."

Police later obtained CCTV from a car park which showed him approaching the back of the house, but he claimed that he had gone to collect his shoes at the rear of the property.

Police also viewed footage of him selling a PlayStation console and games at a Game shop, but he maintained the items were his and that he had sold them because he needed cash. Seivwright, of St Michael's Mews, Newport, later pleaded guilty to the dwelling house burglary at his partner's home on December 19.

Newport judge Ian Murphy branded the burglary "mean" and jailed him for eight months, on Thursday. Seivwright had been before the courts for burglaries twice before, Newport Crown Court heard.

His barrister, Paul Hewitt, said in mitigation that his client had had problems with drink and drugs but Judge Murphy rejected a plea for a drug rehabilitation order. The judge said: "He had committed a burglary in the early part of 2014.

"He was only released from custody shortly before he committed this burglary. "This is not the sort of case in my view that would be appropriate for a drug rehabilitation order.

"It is clearly a case that crosses the custody threshold." Judge Murphy added: "You stole items which were in effect your children's Christmas presents it would seem. "This was a mean burglary."

Seivwright will have to serve half his term before being released on licence. Judge Murphy also ordered him to pay a £100 court surcharge.