A MAN who helped his mate try to rob a fried chicken delivery driver of food and his car keys later bragged to his ex that he would rip out the victim’s jugular.

Aaron Penfold, 21, had denied attempting to rob the Chicken Cottage driver in Nythe last December. He claimed his comments to his ex, said to be a fan of “bad boys”, were bravado and borne from jealousy that she was talking to other men.

However, jurors took around two hours to return a unanimous guilty verdict on Friday afternoon.

Bailing Penfold, of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, to return to Swindon for sentence on June 28, Judge Peter Crabtree warned: “This is a serious offence, Mr Penfold, you’ve been found guilty of. The starting point is a lengthy period in custody.”

During the trial at Swindon Crown Court, the jury heard that Penfold had come down to Swindon to stay with his sister at St Ives Court, Nythe.

He met up with Dennis Pearce and another man at Kings Cross railway station and travelled on to Swindon with them.

On December 7, they planned to get the train home. Pearce, 18, called the Chicken Cottage takeaway in Old Town and ordered £72-worth of food.

Penfold would later tell the police that Pearce planned to rob the delivery driver’s car keys as he “couldn’t be bothered” to walk to the train station, although claimed in his trial that he was ignorant of the other man’s plan at the time.

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Aaron Penfold outside Swindon Crown Court

CCTV footage played to the jury showed three men come out of the front door of the flats. Pearce, who was wearing a leg brace, spoke to the delivery driver while the other two waited out of shot.

Pearce could be seen checking his pockets, apparently looking for the money to pay for the food.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, the deliver driver claimed Pearce said he had a “tool” and would use it on him. In panic, the driver tried pressing intercom buzzers by the front door of the flats. He said Pearce demanded his car keys.

The other two men returned to where Pearce and the driver were standing. The driver fled through a gap towards his car, shouting “rape” in the hope of attracting someone’s attention. He claimed Pearce had shouted “get him” as the three chased after him. A woman shouted from the flats for the boys to stop and that she was calling the police.

He told jurors that he’d feared for his life. The man said there was “no chance” the boys were getting his car keys. “I worked hard for that car and I wasn’t just going to give it away like that.”

Three days later, Penfold called his former partner. In the call, a recording of which was played to the jury, the defendant said he’d had his “Rambo knife”, spoke about being an accessory to robbery, and claimed he’d stab the victim in the neck and rip out his jugular vein the next time he was in Swindon.

He told his ex the driver had shouted “rape”. He added: “He had three f***ing massive f***ing ****s coming towards him with knives. What do you expect he’s going to shout?”

Put in the stand, Penfold claimed he’d exaggerated in the call. He had feelings for the 20-year-old and felt jealous she was talking to other men. “I put the big ‘I am’ on because that’s the sort of bloke she’s into,” he said.

Tony Bignall, defending, asked: “She likes men who get involved in knife crime?”

Penfold replied: “She don’t like good people. From what she’s said to me, she don’t like good boys. She likes bad boys.”

He claimed he’d approached Pearce during the altercation to tell him to “allow it” – slang for stop it – but was warned off by the other man. He’d chased after the driver to offer assistance and to challenge him for crying rape. The word was a “trigger” as he knew a woman who had been sexually assaulted, he said.

Penfold confirmed hearing Pearce tell the driver he had a “tool” and seeing a knife on him.

Judge Peter Crabtree asked: “Did you realise at that stage – when Dennis manoeuvred the victim about - that he intended to rob him?” “Yes,” Penfold replied.

Penfold said his autism made him wary around new people and he did not like confrontation or knives. He had “a lot of beef” in Swindon, he said. “I hate being in the town full stop.”

Cross-examining the defendant, prosecutor Mark Ashley claimed Penfold’s account was nonsense and accused him of acting as a lookout for Pearce. He said: “I’m going to suggest you’d make a very good match for your former partner if she likes bad boys, because that is exactly what you are. You are a bad boy.”

In his closing speech, Mr Bignall told the jurors they had to be sure of his client’s guilt before convicting him. The advocate pointed out inaccuracies in the delivery driver’s account, including a suggestion that one of the robbers was wearing a white puffa jacket.

Pearce, of Hainault, north London, has already admitted attempted robbery. He will be sentenced with Penfold on June 28.