Published date: 06 October 2016 |
Published by: Staff reporterRead more articles by Staff reporterEmail reporter
A FAST food delivery man was stabbed when he made a late night delivery to a house in Wrexham.
A teenager insisted that the victim hand over the food before he paid the £52 bill.
The 17-year-old then produced a kitchen fork and stabbed him to the face, just under the chin.
The victim, Steven Shields, was punched and knocked to the floor as he tried to escape and the food was then taken off him.
The youth was sentenced to a two year detention and training order (DTO) after he admitted a robbery charge following the incident in Wrexham last week.
A youth court in Mold heard yesterday that he had only been released from custody on licence a few days before the incident occurred.
A warrant had been issued for his arrest two days before the robbery because of a breach of his licence, but he had not been picked up by the time the robbery occurred.
He received an additional three months – making 27 months in total – after he admitted breaching his earlier DTO conditions.
Magistrates said the victim was serving the public and was attacked with a weapon, late at night while carrying out his employment.
They added the offence was aggravated by the fact that the youth had only shortly been released from custody.
Photographs of the victim’s face were shown to the court.
Helen Hall, prosecuting, said Mr Shields had a swelling to the forehead and four superficial wounds in a row below his chin where he had been stabbed with the fork.
Mr Shields was asked to deliver food to a Wrexham address at 11.45pm and a woman came to the door and said she would go to get some money.
After about five minutes she had not returned, it was company policy that food should not be handed over before it was paid for, and he returned to his vehicle.
It was at that stage that the teenager turned up at the door and Mr Shields went back to the property.
As he approached the door, the youth said; “Give me the food now. Stop being a prick.”
The position was explained to him but the youth repeatedly called him a prick before producing a fork from his pocket.
Someone from inside was heard shouting “don’t do it, just leave it” at least four times.
“He then stabbed him to the chin with the fork,” Mrs Hall said. “He described it being a blow with a lot of force.”
The victim turned to walk back to his car but received a full force blow to the face.
It knocked him off balance, and it was when he was on the ground that the youth took the bag containing the food from him.
The youth then returned to the property and closed the door behind him.
Magistrates were told the youth had a lengthy record.
Melissa Griffiths, defending, said the youth was drunk at the time of the robbery. He was realistic, knew he had “messed up” and that it had to be custody.
The youth accepted using the fork – there must have been some force – together with a punch.
Fortunately the injuries were not as serious as they could have been although they should not be minimised.
Miss Griffiths said it was conceded it was “a nasty incident” involving a man doing his job and it would have been distressing for him.
Drinking was a problem for her client and he was drunk when he committed the robbery.
Magistrates were told the youth justice service viewed him at a high risk of harm.
The service had applied for a warrant for his arrest two days before the robbery occurred because he had not complied with his licence, but he had not been picked up by the time the robbery occurred.
http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/167563/wrexham-fast-food-delivery-man-was-stabbed-in-the-face-by-teenager.aspx
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