A selfish gamer who used his nan’s bankcard to pay for Xbox games and harassed his mum with constants demand for money has appeared in court.

Benjamin Pay was living at the family home in Parrock Street, Gravesend, when he used the card which belonged to his gran, who has dementia.

The 24-year-old was later thrown out but then started calling his mother, demanding she give him cash.

When she refused he started shouting at her over the phone and threatening her. Sometimes he called up to 15 times a day.

Pay, now of no fixed address, was later charged with harassment without violence, fraud and failing to show up for a drug assessment.

He admitted the harassment and fraud offences when he appeared at Medway Magistrates’ Court in November and the cases against him were adjourned.

Pay returned to the same court on February 28 to be sentenced and also pleaded guilty to the failing to show up offence.

District Judge William Nelson heard the fraud was carried out between September 26 and October 13, last year, when he used his relative's bankcard to pay for Xbox games to the value of £270.

Richard Lamb, prosecuting, said: “The grandmother has dementia and is looked after by her daughter and he took it and used it.

“He denied it in interview, but he was using the card to play the Xbox.

“He has previous convictions in 2014 and 2022 for shoplifiting and I will be asking for £270 compensation for what he spent on the Xbox as well as costs.

“The harrassment was that he was calling his mother and swearing at her on the telephone and he demanded money, sometimes he would call between five an 15 times a day, it was distressing and harassment.”

Tahir Saeed, defending, told Judge Nelson his client had failed to attend the drug assessement as he had so many other things going on and that he was now homeless and living in his gran’s garage.

“He was just playing (Xbox) games, but there is no excuses,” he explained.

“He has a strained relationship with his mother and has some mental health issues and learning difficulties, he’s on Universal Credit.”

Judge Nelson told Pay he had carried out the fraud purely for his own greed and that there had been a degree of planning to it and he had carried out a serious breach of trust by using his elderly relative’s card.

He jailed Pay for 18 weeks for the fraud and harassment offences, but suspended the term for 18 months.

He was also ordered to attend 25 rehabilitation sessions with probation and a thinking skills programme for 19 sessions and was also ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.

Pay received no separate penalty for the failing to attend the drug assessment, but was ordered to pay his nan £270 compensation and will pay it at a rate of £20 a month.