A PIZZA delivery driver has been jailed after threatening to kill his former boss and petrol bomb the shop.

Darrell Green, from York, made the threats in a series of racist text messages to Huseyin Mayil, who runs Pizza King in Selby.

The 26-year-old was sentenced at York Crown Court yesterday to three years and six months in prison. A judge said he had left his victim absolutely terrified.

Green had admitted racially aggravated assault, intimidating a witness, theft, and two counts of driving while disqualified and driving without insurance at earlier hearings.

Austin Newman, prosecuting, said Green, of Barkston Avenue in Chapelfields, was already banned from driving when he started working at Pizza King in Gowthorpe on February 28.

York Press:

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.

Mr Newman said: "On February 29, he started sending racist and threatening text messages to Mr Mayil, the first of which said 'let's see if you have a shop window when I put a petrol bomb through it." He added an expletive-filled xenophobic insult.

Further text messages and emails followed, including:

  • March 3 - "You're going to get what's coming."
  • March 6 - "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".
  • March 10 - "Tonight's the night I'm personally going to kill you myself".

Green was stopped by police in York on March 19 while driving a different car.

He was charged with the driving and theft offences and due to appear at York Magistrates Court on April 7.

Green then sent five further texts to Mr Mayil.

  • March 22 - "Think you're clever going to the police. I will have the last laugh before you go to court."
  • March 24 - "I'm going to blow your house to the ground, I know your name and address."
  • April 1 - "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."

This text came after Green had already admitted his guilt to police.

Richard Minion, for Green, said: "He's extremely impulsive and acts without thinking of the consequences.

"He said 'I have this ability to let things stew in my head. If I don't resolve them, things take over'.

"It's possibly consistent with the combination of taking steroids and his ADHD."

Mr Minion added: "It's completely ridiculous what he was doing and he accepts that.

"His behaviour was nothing less than despicable. He understands that.

"There was no move to do anything beyond the abuse."

Recorder Alistair Macdonald QC told Green: "You have a very bad record of previous offending. Many different techniques have been tried by way of sentence, none of which have been successful.

"I can assure you that the effect on Mr Mayil was to make him absolutely terrified of what might happen to him.

"People who come to this country to provide jobs for the indigenous population should be protected by this court."

Judge Macdonald added: "You're 26 years old. You're a grown man. It seems to me that you have to come to terms with your temper and impulsivity."

Green was originally banned from driving on October 20, 2015 after failing to stop following an accident.

Yesterday, he was jailed for two years and six months for racial harassment, three months for theft and three months for witness intimidation.

He received two six-month sentences for driving while disqualified to run concurrently, making his total jail term three years and six months.

Green had his licence endorsed, but received no separate penalty for driving without insurance.

Judge Macdonald also issued a restraining order, meaning Green can have 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 this.