A knife-wielding thug who robbed two delivery men of a £10 pizza has narrowly avoided a prison sentence.
Jordan Lynch ordered a spicy chicken pizza from Nazar Turkish Takeaway in Leslie to a neighbour’s address, then pounced on delivery staff from behind a bin, brandishing a foot-long blade and demanded they hand it over.
Lynch, of Aitken Road in Glenrothes, had initially given the takeaway staff his own address before “correcting” himself and giving the number of the house next door, on July 13 last year.
The dozy 24-year-old also made the call from his own phone, with the number registered by the store’s till and printed on his order.
Pizza robbery
Fiscal depute Claire Bremner previously told a court the two owners of the takeaway, Ahsan and Mohsan Javid, went to the address together as it was the last delivery of the night.
Ms Bremner said the pair entered the neighbour’s garden and became aware of Lynch, whose face was covered with a black balaclava.
The depute fiscal said: “He stood up and lifted a long bladed weapon – described as being a foot long – above his head and shouted ‘just give me the food’.
“The accused moved towards both witnesses and they believed he was going to strike them with the weapon.
“Both witnesses turned and ran but stopped a short distance away as they feared they would be caught by the accused.
“Once again the accused approached and raised the weapon above his head.”
Sentencing
Lynch also admitted a second offence of threatening to post intimate photographs of a woman on social media on January 29 and 30 this year.
He pled guilty to making the threats with the intention of causing – or while reckless to causing – the woman fear, alarm or distress.
Lynch appeared for sentencing at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for both offences and became tearful in the dock.
Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane told him: “I’m going to step back from sending you to prison.”
Instead, the sheriff placed Lynch under a restriction of liberty order to stay at home between the hours of 8pm and 8am, seven days a week, for the next three months.
This will be reduced to four days a week for the following three months and then three days a week for the final three months of the nine-month order.
Lynch will also be required to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work in relation to the second offence concerning the threats to disclose intimate photographs.
A non-harassment order has also been granted, which will last a year.
Drug issues
Defence lawyer David Bell said Lynch is someone who had no criminal record up until the age of 24 and now has a record of offending within a fairly short period.
He said his client had a diazepam problem which stemmed from the death of a family member.
In relation to the threats to disclose intimate photos, Mr Bell stressed his client did not follow through on the threats but acknowledged this did not minimise the impact on the victim.
