Man sentenced for threatening text messages to Pizza shop owner

Categories: Latest News
Thursday April 28 2016
The York Press reports on the jailing of a pizza delivery driver who sent a series of text messages to his boss threatening to kill him and petrol bomb his shop.
Darrell Green, 26, began work for Pizza King as a delivery driver on February 28 and just hours into his job “he stole two pizzas, two pizza bags worth £25 each and a £40 cash float after failing to return from a delivery in his Vauxhall Corsa”.
On February 29, he sent the first of a series of messages to his boss, Mr Mayil. The first message read: “Let’s see if you have a shop window when I put a petrol bomb through it.” Green added an “expletive-filled xenophobic insult” to the message, according to the paper.
Further messages were sent in the days that followed with Green telling Mr Mayil “You’re going to get what’s coming;” “You’re a migrant and should be back in your own country… I wouldn’t like to be with you when I get hold of you;” and “Tonight‘s the night I’m personally going to kill you myself”.
After Green was charged by the police on April 7 for theft and driving offences, he sent further messages to Mr Mayil intimidating him for reporting the abuse to the police. On March 22, Green sent a text message stating: “Think you’re clever going to the police. I will have the last laugh before you go to court.”
Two days later, he wrote: “I’m going to blow your house to the ground, I know your name and address.”
On April 1, days before his court date on 7 April, Green sent another message to Mr Mayil stating: “Got my court date next Thursday. Let’s hope for your sake it goes in my favour or you’re a dead man. Drop the charges now while you have a chance. This is not a threat. It’s a promise.”
Green admitted racially aggravated assault, intimidating a witness, theft, and two counts of driving while disqualified and driving without insurance at earlier hearings and appeared before York Crown Court this week for sentencing.
Recorder Alistair Macdonald QC told Green that the impact of his threats on Mr Mayil had left him “absolutely terrified of what might happen to him.”
Green was sentenced to a combined jail term of three years and six months. He must serve two years and six months for racial harassment, three months for theft and three months for witness intimidation. He received a further six-month sentence for driving while disqualified to run concurrently.
Judge Macdonald also issued a restraining order and Green must make no contact with Mr Mayil or come within one mile of Pizza King.
Green was subject to an 18-month conditional discharge for threatening behaviour from April 17, 2015, but received no separate penalty for breaching it.