Troy Gregory Lance Norman sentenced for detaining, threatening Domino's pizza delivery driver in Tamworth

Troy Gregory Lance Norman, 37, was handed a backdated sentence of two years and three months in jail in Tamworth District Court last week. He will be eligible for parole in July this year.

Norman's Aboriginal Legal Service defence solicitor and the prosecutor from the state authority, the DPP, handed written submissions to Judge Deborah Payne.

"The offending clearly has a bizarre quality about it," Judge Payne said during sentencing.

"Substance abuse clearly contributed to this offending behaviour."

The court heard of struggles Norman had faced in his life and Judge Payne found there were clearly special circumstances in his case.

Norman remained in custody after his arrest on May 7 last year, after a Friday night pizza delivery took a dark turn.

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Judge Payne acknowledged that time would have been more onerous than usual.

"That was through a significant period of the COVID-19 pandemic," she told the court.

She said it was a "very sad case" but the seriousness of the offending against an 18-year-old Domino's staff member could not be set aside.

"The victim himself was only a young man ... working as a pizza delivery driver," she said.

A statement of agreed facts between the prosecution and defence show Norman confronted the Domino's driver in South Tamworth about 5:30pm.

Norman was wearing a bumbag, black jumper and fingerless gloves when he approached the worker and asked about a pizza order.

"Do not go back in the car, I will stab you, I will hurt you," Norman told him, according to the facts.

He demanded the teenager sit down before showing him what police said appeared to be a black sock with a pool ball stuffed in it.

The delivery driver called Domino's West Tamworth three times before he managed to get through and order Norman a pizza.

The victim drove Norman to the store and on the way the offender said "I am going to smash all the windows and beat them all up if I don't get my food".

Police were alerted when they pair arrived about 6pm.

Norman left but officers found him in the queue at the nearby McDonald's and said he started yelling and refused to leave.

Norman pleaded guilty to the charge of detaining a person to gain an advantage, namely a pizza.

He was also sentenced for a charge of resisting police.

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