One-legged bandit: teenage disabled boxer jailed for attack on pizza delivery man (From Dorset Echo)

One-legged bandit: teenage disabled boxer jailed for attack on Domino's delivery man

10:57am Monday 18th March 2013 in News

A ONE-LEGGED teenage robber who dragged a pizza delivery man from his car and threatened to kill his family has been jailed.

John Joe Darch, 19, pounced on the Domino’s Pizza worker and attacked him as he was delivering food in Littlemoor, Weymouth, on January 1.

Amateur boxer Darch was identified because of his prosthetic leg, which was seen by the victim as he was kicked in the unprovoked attack.

The teenager, who was sent to prison last year for affray, took the pizza delivery man’s car, leaving him injured in the street, Dorchester Crown Court heard.

Darch, of Beverley Road, Littlemoor, Weymouth, was sentenced to 27 months in prison and was told by Judge Roger Jarvis that he ‘should be ashamed of himself’.

He had previously pleaded guilty to robbery, admitting taking his victim’s Vauxhall Zafira car, his iPhone and £100 in cash.

Prosecutor Carolyn Branford-Wood told the court that on the night of the attack Darch opened the victim’s car door, punched him twice in the face and dragged him from the vehicle.

She said that Darch told his victim: “I have got a lot of your ID in the car, I have got your keys and I know where you live.

“If you tell the police I will kill your family.”

Darch repeatedly shouted at the victim not to look at him and kicked him several times as he lay in the road, the court heard.

He denied setting fire to the car, which was destroyed in a blaze near Bincombe Valley Primary School in Weymouth that night.

Darch was arrested by police at around 1am the following day and identified by the victim.

In mitigation, Nigel Mitchell said that Darch ‘deeply regretted’ his actions.

He said that Darch, who formerly went under the surname Look, was usually ‘disciplined’ and only got in trouble when he had been drinking.

Mr Mitchell added: “On the one hand, he is a pretty decent chap who can keep out of trouble and go about his business looking for work and volunteering and helping in the gym, keeping himself pretty busy.

“But from time to time he drinks too much and suddenly finds himself in a manner that would cause him to go to prison.”

Sentencing Darch, Judge Jarvis said: “You had drunk too much, it was late at night, you saw the unfortunate victim and realised he would be an easy target.

“On his own, carrying money – it was plain that he was delivering pizza at that time of night.

“You are a boxer. When you punch somebody, I daresay it’s more effective than when an ordinary person punches out.

“Then, when the unfortunate victim was on the ground, you kicked him. You made threats, which the victim took seriously, threats to his family.

“He had to move out of his home for a few days. The consequences of all of this upon him and his family have been severe.

“He was just trying to earn a bit extra for his family and this is what happened to him. I hope that you are ashamed of yourself.”