A delivery driver was left covered in blood when he was hit in the head with an iron file by a violent thief.
The Just Eat worker had just dropped off food in Byker, Newcastle, when he was approached by Michael Lindsay. The thug used the tool to attack the driver and then robbed him.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the victim was traumatized by the ordeal and fearful of working in the Byker Wall area again. It was around midnight on the night of May 14 that the 40-year-old delivery driver was attacked.
Lindsay yelled, “Give me everything you got, give me your money.” He then hit him on the head with the iron file and knocked him to the ground, leaving him injured and in pain. Lindsay dug into her pockets and stole a mobile phone, £60 cash and her bank card.
The victim was left with a 2 cm cut to the scalp and a broken nose. A photo shown in court showed his head and face covered in blood. In a victim impact statement, he said: “It made me feel extremely vulnerable. It was an unprovoked attack and I was just trying to do my job.
“I’m scared and won’t be coming back to the area because I’m afraid it will happen again. It had a profound effect on my life and I still have flashbacks. This person broke my taxi windows and hit me on the head with a gun. I’m really scared when I work at night. It’s always in my mind that it’s going to happen again.
Lindsay, 44, of Derby Terrace, Thornaby, Stockton, who has 38 previous convictions, including a number of robberies in 2003 and intentional injury, pleaded guilty to robbery. He was imprisoned for five years and seven months.
Stuart Graham, defending, said: “It’s surprising when you meet him. He comes across as extremely polite. He’s very eloquent and extremely sorry for what he’s done.”