A robber who threatened staff at a Kilmarnock restaurant has been jailed for three years.
Brian Roche entered Frankie and Benny’s of Queens Drive in the town with his face partially covered and demanded the staff hand over money.
Roche, 48, assaulted an employee and threatened him with violence and put his hand in his clothing to suggest he was carrying a weapon.
Roche, of Ardbeg Avenue, Kilmarnock, then demanded the employee open the till and hand over money and a money belt.
He appeared before Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week to be sentenced where his defending agent Gillian Swanney argued there were alternative options to custody.
However, Sheriff Alastair Watson said: “This was a planned crime. You were not there to eat. You selected a time when the only staff present were young and might easily be intimidated.
“The effect of robbery on victims should not be underestimated.
“It can have an effect on people’s ability to carry on with their employment.”
Roche was sentenced to three years in prison.
