Teenagers jailed for chip shop robbery

Derry Crown Court Judge Philip Babington said there was ‘no alternative’ to a custodial sentence in the case of Terry Boyd and Brandon Bamford as ‘the public of this city are entitled to protection from people like yourselves.’

Boyd, of Bloomfield Park and Bamford, from Jefferson Court, who are both now aged 18-years-old, pleaded guilty to the robbery of Brendan’s Chip Shop on September 4, 2016.

Bamford also admitted possessing a Class B drug, namely 4-Chloro-a-PPP, which is a stimulant.

Derry Crown Court heard that two female staff members who were working on the night of the robbery have since left their employment. The owner of the chip shop claiming that the women were ‘traumatised’ by what happened and ‘the robbery has made his partner and himself anxious each night until the shop is closed and all the staff are home safely.

The teenagers entered the chip shop with their faces covered by bandannas and began shouting and roaring.

Boyd had a steel bar in his hand and banged it on the counter twice and struck the wall with it.

Bamford swiped several items off the counter and the screen of the cash register was smashed.

They removed the till, which contained £400 in cash and the employees were ‘cowering in fear’ during the incident which lasted around 30 seconds in total.

The defendants drove away from the scene in a car which was later found abandoned on Victoria Road.

Bamford was seen walking away from the car and was arrested.

It is accepted that the car was driven by a third person was not before the court and is wanted by police.

During police interview, he accepted some involvement in the incident but denied going into the chip shop.

Boyd was arrested four days later and denied all knowledge of the robbery.

The court heard the defendants knew each other from school and on the day in question had consumed at least a 10 glass bottle of Vodka and various drugs including Xanax.

It was revealed both teenagers have been misusing alcohol and drugs since the age of 11 or 12.

Passing sentence, Judge Babington acknowledged neither Bamford and Boyd ‘has had a particularly easy upbringing but that is no excuse to behave in the way that they did, clearly terrifying two female employees who were only working and carrying out a public service by staffing a fish and chip shop.’

He said the defendants were ‘quite clearly out of control and this court shudders to think what would have happened had either of these two members of staff tried to resist you in any way.’

The judge imposed a determinate sentence of two and a half years on both defendants. They will serve half their sentences in custody and the remaining half on licence in the community.