A church thief was so angry about his girlfriend’s mother being evicted from her flat he threatened to kill her neighbour’s children.

Adrian Robertson, 40, told the woman: “I have been in prison for 22 years. I’m going to kill you, and if I don’t kill you I’m going to kill your children.” His girlfriend Rebecca Mills, 32, shouted violent racial abuse and said: "You got my mum kicked out. I’m going to have you.”

They targeted the woman, who had had the misfortune of living below Mills’ mother in Edinburgh Court in Raynes Park. The couple have previously served prison time for stealing an 81-year-old’s handbag while she took communion in a Tolworth church. They admitted all the charges against them, Kingston Crown Court heard yesterday. Prosecutor Alastair Smith said that Mills’ mother had been evicted due to a "history of problems" with neighbour Ms Rossiter who lived downstairs. At 10pm on June 23 last year, Ms Rossiter heard loud music and banging, opened her door and saw Mills and Robertson.

They left when police were called and were later arrested upstairs. Robertson, who used to live in Mole Court, Ewell, and now lives in Guildford, repeatedly tried to speak during Thursday's court proceedings and his phone rang twice during the court hearing.

Mr Robertson’s father agreed to pay a £1,000 security for his son's bail. Zarah Dickinson, defending Robertson, said he had been using drink and drugs at the time of the threats to kill, but was now having drug treatment and staying at a hostel in Guildford.

Robertson was sentenced to five months in jail in March for stealing an elderly woman’s handbag at Our Lady Immaculate church in Ewell Road, Tolworth, on January 19.

Mills was sentenced to eight weeks in jail.  In 2009 Robertson was jailed for two-and-a-half years for robbing a partially sighted musician in Epsom. Mills and Robertson will both be sentenced for threats to kill and criminal damage on Friday, October 24. Mills will also be sentenced for racial provocation of violence.