Jail for gunpoint robbers of pizza (From Swindon Advertiser)

Jail for gunpoint robbers of pizza

8:30am Tuesday 12th March 2013 in News

TWO men who robbed a delivery driver at gunpoint for a £14 pizza have been jailed.

Antonio Barbieri, 20, and pal Leam Romain, 19, called for the food to be delivered to an address in Penhill and lay in wait for the driver.

When he arrived shortly before 4.30am the pair, who were both drunk, approached him and Barbieri pulled out a replica Walther pistol, saying, ‘give me the pizza’.

But the victim, who used to be in the Navy, was not convinced the weapon was not genuine and said, “that’s not a real gun”.

As he turned to walk back to the car he had arrived in, Barbieri pistol whipped him to the back of the head telling Romain to join in the attack.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court the call was put in to Domino’s in West Swindon in the early hours of Saturday, February 9.

She said Anthony Williamson drove to an address in Downton Road but was approached in the street by the two lads asking, ‘is that the pizza?’.

“He said ‘yes’ and Barbieri pulled out a pistol from his waistband and said, ‘give me the pizza’,” she told the court.

After turning to walk back to the car the attacker yelled ‘we’ll just do you’ and hit him to the back of the head with the handle of the pistol.

Barbieri, who had his hood up, then shouted at Romain, who had his shirt pulled up over his face, to join him and his accomplice waded in punching him in the face.

Romain then grabbed hold of the bag the pizza was in and made off with it as Barbieri continued to struggle with Mr Williamson.

He again struck him over the head with the pistol, causing the magazine to fall out, before he fled.

Miss Hingston said the victim noticed a tattoo on the taller attacker’s neck and picked out Barbieri in an identity parade.

She said that the victim then found out he was friends with the father of the attacker, which upset him greatly.

Although the rest of the gun was never found, the court was told there were pictures on Facebook of Barbieri posing with it.

Barbieri, of Rose Street, and Romain, of Thames Avenue, both admitted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Rob Ross, for Barbieri, said: “A saving grace of this case, thankfully, was Mr Williamson, a mature man, was savvy enough to realise what he had in front of him was two young idiots.

“When he turned and walked away he was attacked.

“Mr Barbieri has never sought to belittle what he did and what did they get out of it? Probably by then a cold pizza. It really beggars belief.”

He said once he was sober the following morning he realised the gravity of what he had done.

Mike Pulsford, for Romain, said his client had not been aware of the gun until his accomplice pulled it out.

When the suggestion was made to ‘rob the pizza boy’ he thought they would just snatch the food and run off but accepted he joined in when the violence started.

Passing sentence Judge Douglas Field said: “You two had both been drinking, you arranged to put in a call to Domino’s Pizza for delivery of a pizza to an address completely unconnected to you two and you planned to rob the delivery man and you lay in wait for him.

“Mr Williamson, not withstanding the fact he stood his ground, must have been frightened, must have been intimidated, must have been in some shock.”

As well as passing a four year sentence on Barbieri he jailed Romain for two years.