A FORMER cocaine addict who broke into a man’s house and threatened him in front of his children has been sentenced to 33 months in prison.

Timothy Joyce Jr, of Redbridge Hollow, Old Abingdon Road, Oxford, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court for intimidation, affray and possessing a knife in relation to the incident.

The 27-year-old, appearing via video link from HMP Bullingdon on Friday, admitted the offences when he appeared at the same court on August 12.

The court heard how Nicholas Benny was at home in Rose Hill with his three young children when Joyce walked into his living room on the night of April 5.

He appeared to be drunk and asked one of Mr Benny’s children for £50 before producing a knife and asking for cocaine.

Joyce was also sentenced for four theft offences that took place on November 6, 2014, when he stole items including an iPad, mobile phone and tools, and an offence of theft following an incident on April 24, 2014, when he took money from a man he was drinking with.

Stuart Matthews, defending, said at the time of the offences Joyce had been using between £100 and £150 of cocaine every day and admitted his offending had been “reckless and frequent”.

The judge sentenced Joyce to three months in prison for the theft of April, 2014 and nine months for the four theft offences from November 6, to run consecutively.

He also sentenced him to 21 months in prison for intimidation, 12 months for possessing a knife and 15 months for affray, to run concurrently but consecutively with the other offences, giving a total of 33 months.