Man abducted teen boy, 15, and urged him to hand over PlayStation 5 to pay off debts

A man abducted a 15-year-old boy he had recruited to sell cannabis for him and urged him to hand over a games console to pay off his debts.

Taona Mtolo had claimed the teenager owed him £320.

The 20-year-old was armed with a knife when he forced the youngster to go back to his home where the boy said he had a PlayStation 5 he could give him as payment.

It was there the teenager’s older brother ended up being stabbed having initially been confronted by the masked thug at the house in Midlothian on April 5 last year.

The wounded sibling only escaped by fleeing from the property in his boxer shorts.

First offender Mtolo was remanded in custody after he admitted to his guilt as he appeared in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow.

He will be sentenced next month.

Prosecutor Eric Robertson told how Mtolo, of Buckstone, Edinburgh, had been involved in low-level supply of cannabis.

The 15-year-old and a 13-year-old friend helped him sell the drug.

The schoolboys ended up smoking some of the cannabis, but told Mtolo they had been robbed.

Mtolo stated the pair had five days to “repay the debt”.

The older boy’s mum learned of the demands and called police.

This then lead to Mtolo later confronting the teenager for “snitching to the feds”.

Mtolo went on to show the terrified boy he was in possession of a knife.

Mr Robertson said: “He demanded to know where his house was and that if he did not show him, he would get slashed.”

Mtolo and his associates then went with the boy.

The teenager’s brother was initially asleep before hearing unknown males voices in the house.

Mtolo barged into his room while clutching the blade and shouted that was owed cash. One of his associates also joined him.

As the brother tried to get away, he was grabbed around the neck before being repeatedly struck on the body.

Mr Robertson said: “He managed to free himself…and ran out of the house wearing only his underwear.

“He went to a neighbour’s property. He felt something on his lower back and thought he had been stabbed.”

The victim – who also had his phone stolen – suffered two wounds, but luckily was not seriously hurt.

Mtolo meantime was traced that night. A hunting knife was found under a bush nearby.

The weapon had his DNA on it as well as that of the young man who was stabbed.

Mtolo pled guilty to assaulting and abducting the 15-year-old.

He further admitted assaulting and robbing the boy’s brother to the danger of his life as well as cannabis supply.

Mtolo separately pled guilty to stabbing another man to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and danger of his life outside a supermarket in South Clerk Street in Edinburgh on June 26 last year.

Mtolo had been on bail, but he was remanded by judge Lord Clark as sentencing was deferred for reports.