Robber bought cheeseburger during 'bizarre' McDonald's raid as staff couldn't open till without food order

Phoebe Southworth
Daniel Parra-Braun, 37, burst into a Coventry branch of the fast food restaurant with the intention of snatching wads of cash but ended up buying a 99p cheeseburger - SWNS

A robber bought a cheeseburger during a "bizarre" raid on McDonald's after staff told him the till wouldn't open unless he ordered food, a court heard.

Daniel Parra-Braun, 37, burst into a Coventry branch of the fast food restaurant and pretended to be carrying a gun.

He slammed a note onto the counter which read: "I am armed. Give till cash now."

But the server told him it wouldn't open unless a customer ordered food, so he promptly agreed to buy a 99p cheeseburger, obligingly handing over a £5 note.

Staff then gave him £136 from the till and he fled.

Parra-Braun was jailed for five years on Tuesday after admitting two charges of robbery and two of attempted robbery.

The McDonald's raid was one of four he had carried out in just 12 hours in June last year before he was arrested.

He also tried to swipe money from another McDonald's, a William Hill and a Premier Inn. He fled the bookmakers with £170 in cash but staff at McDonald's and Premier Inn refused to hand over any money.

Sentencing him at Warwick Crown Court, Judge Peter Cooke said: "I accept that this bizarre few hours in your life was the product of something of a psychiatric collapse you had suffered.

"Your behaviour has that peculiar flavour to it and was not just about obtaining money.

"There is no suggestion you produced or had a weapon, but the people on the other end of the threats were not to know that."

Ian Windridge, defending, said: "He has mental health conditions, but they did not contribute to the offending, nor did they require hospital treatment."