Pizza Hut employee Richard Starkey, 20, was on his round in Neville Street, The Groves, on May 27, when Ronnie Johnston jumped out in front of him, demanded cigarettes and then lifted the moped’s front wheel off the ground by grabbing the handlebars, said Julia Harrow, prosecuting at York Crown Court. Mr Starkey fell off, Johnston punched him and made off on the moped.
Shortly afterwards, Johnston veered back and forth across Park Grove behind a car with two young children in and tried to overtake it at 30mph. When it stopped at traffic lights he crashed into the back of it and fell off.
He swore at passers-by who tried to help him, and told them and the driver that if they called the police “I will kill you – I know where you live”. He also slapped eye-witness Alex Roberts in the face, said Miss Harrow.
Lovely!
The Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst, told Johnston: “It was really an appalling catalogue of behaviour that afternoon. This was serious offending, putting the public at risk. I am afraid this is one of those occasions when you have got to face up to the consequences.” He jailed Johnston for two and a half years, banned him from driving for three and ordered him to retake his driving test.
Mitigation should be good….
Glenn Parsons, defending, said Johnston was the paid carer for his disabled father and his girlfriend was expecting their child in January.
Wha..?
On May 27, he had met up with her and a friend and had “abandoned his responsibilities” for a time. Then he had received a phone call indicating something was wrong with his father, and in a panic to get home as quickly as possible, he had looked for transport.
And what better vehicle to speed to your dear old dad’s bedside than a pizza delivery scooter belonging to someone else?
"Pizza Hut employee Richard Starkey, 20, was on his round in Neville Street, The Groves, on May 27, when Ronnie Johnston jumped out in front of him, demanded cigarettes and then lifted the moped’s front wheel off the ground by grabbing the handlebars ... "
ReplyDeleteNo doubt it was the stress brought on by this unexpected news, which made him demand cigarettes from the rider too ..
Th majority of these defence lawyers are definitely in the wrong job .. they'd be far better suited to writing fiction for a living ..
The excuses are getting lamer but so are, it seems, the lawyers. Surely any decent lawyer could have gotten him 'off' if it had been a first offence? I'm guessing he has miles of previous.
ReplyDeleteI read this kind of stuff and wonder if just taking the offender out the back and shooting them would improve the gene pool. Then I read he'd already breed.
ReplyDeleteQuiet_Man: don't worry, looks like either him or his kid are going to win a Darwin award soon enough.
ReplyDeleteHe could at least have delivered the pizza first, and then rushed home to see his ailing family.
ReplyDeleteOr did he plan to steal the pizza, too? Bastard.
"No doubt it was the stress brought on by this unexpected news, which made him demand cigarettes from the rider too .."
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm sure! Who could begrudge him a calming ciggie or two?
"I'm guessing he has miles of previous."
I'm pretty certain of that.
"...and wonder if just taking the offender out the back and shooting them would improve the gene pool."
At this stage, it's worth a try!
"Or did he plan to steal the pizza, too? Bastard."
:D Hope it was ham & pineapple. Serves him right...