A MAN punched a McDonald’s worker and tried to steal her phone after he and his uncle were refused service in Southampton.
Wiktor Gelewski and his uncle Adam Bobrowski got out of their car after being refused service at the drive-through to McDonald’s in Shirley.
A court heard how Bobrowski went inside the restaurant before becoming verbally abusive and violent, breaking the jaw of the manager.
But after his uncle left, 19-year-old Gelewski approached another manager outside who had seen what happened.
Prosecuting, Keeley Harvey told Southampton Crown Court how Gelewski of Cracknore Road, Southampton, grabbed the woman from behind.
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He then punched her to the left of her face, causing her to feel some pain and bruising.
The teenager then went to leave, but when he noticed the woman had her phone out he placed an arm around her neck to “stop her getting away”.
He then attempted to wrestle the phone out of her hand, without success, before leaving in a vehicle.
Police caught up to the vehicle, but the two men were no longer inside.
But the driver gave officers details of both men and they were later arrested and questioned by police.
Bobrowski was previously jailed for 21 months for the attack on the McDonald’s worker.
Meanwhile, Gelewski pleaded guilty to one count of attempted robbery and appeared on Monday to be sentenced.
Ms Harvey added that he had tried to take the McDonald’s worker’s hat during the incident which he later told police he wanted “for the memories”.
But mitigating, Paul Walker said this was a “short lived” incident and “relatively spontaneous”.
“Those are the actions of a teenage youth who lacks maturity”, he added.
The court was also told how “alcohol was very much an issue” during this incident but that “there is a degree of remorse”.
The judge, Recorder Don Tait said however that this is a “serious offence” that he “shouldn’t have involved [himself in]”.
“The courts have a duty to protect people who work in the service industry.”
Gelewski was jailed for 12 months suspended for two years.
He was also ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work and pay £750 compensation to the victim.
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