Milton Keynes woman jailed for knifepoint robbery of McDonald's

A woman who carried out a knifepoint robbery at a McDonald's takeaway after getting hooked on heroin following the death of her daughter, has been jailed by a judge who hoped prison would get her over her addiction.

The court heard that 36-year-old Stephanie Lee from Kents Hill entered the Milton Keynes McDonalds restaurant at 4.30 in the morning and, after ordering food, demanded that the woman behind the counter - the only member of staff - open the till.

She then snatched about £120.

Lee, who previously admitted stealing £70 of chocolate from a Co-Op store, appeared for sentencing for the robbery at Aylesbury Crown Court and was jailed for two years.

Prosecutor Katie Jones told the court that Lee and an accomplice entered the McDonald's shop at about 4:20am, where employee Esther Osagie was alone working behind the till. They both ordered food and as Ms Osagie processed their order, Lee commanded her to open the till.

"She was armed with a knife," said Ms Jones.

"She leaned over and grabbed her arm. At that point, the accomplice reached over the counter and emptied the till."

Ms Jones added: "She (Ms Osagie) was scared for her life. She had to go to the hospital after she felt pain in her fingers and arm from the grabbing."

The prosecutor said that the attack had left the victim very upset and honestly worried about going back to work.

Lee was charged with robbery, assault by beating and theft. She admitted all charges and was sentenced separately from her accomplice.

Sarah Powell. mitigating for Lee, said: "I am not here to make up any excuse on behalf of Miss Lee for the robbery - and in all fairness, my client has not asked me to do so.

"She acknowledges fully that she had a choice to make and she made the wrong one."

The court heard that last year, Lee had already admitted having stolen more than £70-worth of chocolate from a Co-op supermarket on April 28 2022.

She committed the theft while serving a conditional discharge after she previously stole £233-worth of alcohol and other goods from a Lidl store in March 2021.

The court heard that since 2021, she had committed a total of 19 offences, including 17 thefts, one assault and one robbery.

Judge Catherine Tulk, sentencing, told Lee that she considered the robbery at McDonalds as the lead offence.

She said that she had considered mitigating circumstances in the case, namely her descent over the past few years into heroin addiction, partly driven by the death of her daughter in 2009, the subsequent breakdown of her relationship and the loss of her remaining children's custody to her mother.

Lee's mother wrote a letter to the court which Judge Tulk described as "heartbreaking."

"It is very clear to me that the offending in which you have been involved has all been committed whilst you have been acting in the grip of your addiction," said the judge.

"Your route into addiction is a very tragic one."

Judge Tulk added she hoped Lee's two year custody sentence would give her the time to work her way through the addiction.

ends