A CONVICTED rapist with a crack cocaine habit burgled a house and held a knife to his victim's throat, warning him he would kill him if he ‘grassed’.

Scott Green was jailed at Worcester Crown Court yesterday after he admitted burgling the home of his friend's brother in Swallow Close, St Peter's, Worcester. The 28-year-old of Borrowdale Drive, Warndon, Worcester carried out the burglary on October 31 last year with an accomplice, ‘three strikes’ burglar Thomas Raymond.

As previously reported, Raymond, 26, of Lowesmoor, Worcester, was jailed for three years for his part in the same raid when he appeared at the court last month, a minimum sentence because of his previous convictions for burglary.

Green also admitted a threat to kill against burglary victim, house-sitter Benjamin Preece, on November 3 last year.

A few days after the burglary, the victim confronted the men about their raid on his brother’s home. Green, holding a knife to Mr Preece's throat, told him: “If you try grassing on us I will stick this in your neck - that would be the quickest way to get rid of a grass.”

We reported in October 2012 how Green, who took steroids, raped a 23-year-old woman in her own flat. They initially had consensual sex before he turned violent in the Valentine's Day attack.

He stuck his fingers down her throat until she choked, strangled her until she had trouble breathing, slapped her face, spat at her and pulled her hair, Worcester Crown Court was told.

Green then carried on having sex despite her protests and put a hand over her mouth when she began screaming. She told police she was treated her 'like a rag doll', said the prosecutor.

In a bid to stop her calling for help, Green cut the wire to her landline phone and took her mobile with him when he left the flat. Green also took her driving licence and bank card and cut them up

Green, then aged 21, pleaded guilty to rape on the day he was due to face trial by jury.

Green identified steroids as the probable cause of his behaviour and said he was determined not to take them again.

Yesterday the court heard that immediately before the burglary Green and Raymond dropped Mr Preece off at a chemist's in Tallow Hill but after 50 minutes they still had not picked him up.

Alun Williams, prosecuting, said Mr Preece called Green to find out where he was.

Green told Mr Preece he was in Bath Road before collecting him Mr Preece and taking him back to his brother’s house. When Mr Preece entered the house he noticed the hall blind was on the floor and the hall window, which had been locked, was open.

Green and Raymond stole items worth £1,089 including an Xbox One and an Apple iPad Air after they had dropped Mr Preece off at the chemist.

Later Mr Preece noticed a distinctive vape belonging to his brother in the door well of the defendant’s car and realised the two men were responsible.

Mr Preece confronted Raymond at his address. Raymond called Green who arrived and threatened Mr Preece with a kitchen knife which had a six inch blade. When interviewed under caution Green claimed to have been suffering from a seizure at the time of the burglary, denying he was responsible.

“Mr Preece indicated that he believed that threat” said Mr Williams.

Lee Egan, for Green, said his client had suffered from mental health problems and had difficulties with drugs, admitting smoking crack cocaine.

However, Mr Egan asked the court to give Green credit for his guilty plea and for the delay there had been in the case, describing him as being 'in a much better condition now than he was eight months ago'.

Mr Egan said his client had stopped taking medication for his mental health problems and was now taking painkillers for problems with his back.

He said Green had become a listener for the Samaritans in custody and was a restorative justice representative. “He presents as an intelligent, articulate man when not suffering from the afflictions he’s facing” said Mr Egan. Green had no previous convictions for house burglary and Mr Egan asked that the sentence be suspended, telling the court: "He's a different man."

Mr Egan said the defendant's family supported him and wanted him back which he said was 'a sign of his turnaround', arguing that an immediate custodial sentence would have 'a significant harmful impact on others'.

Mr Egan also provided a letter from he defendant's mother, the judge acknowledging that she had taken 'a lot of trouble' and expressed herself 'clearly and succinctly'.

Judge Robert Juckes QC described the mitigation as 'the most impressive that can be put forward', telling the defendant: "That is largely down to the efforts you have yourself made."

However, he said the burglary had had 'serious consequences for those involved'.

"It involved an element of deeply unpleasant deception, befriending a man who was housesitting.

"It was made the more serious because, when he realised that it was you and Mr Raymond who had burgled his house, the upshot was that he was confronted by you with a knife in your hand, threatening to take his life and you have admitted that you wanted and intended him to believe that, all of that at a time when you were addicted to drugs" he said. Judge Juckes said drugs and their 'pernicious effects' lay behind so much of the crime he had to deal with and added: "I cannot deal with this by way of a suspended sentence for obvious reasons."

The judge jailed him for 28 months, telling Green: "I have reduced the sentence as far as I possibly can in this case in the hope this can encourage you on the course you have set yourself."