A man has been locked up after threatening to stab and kill a postman before robbing him of just £28.
Theo De Geus pounced on the man inside a block of flats on Farquhar Road in Aberdeen as his victim was delivering mail.
The 20-year-old blocked his path before demanding money and grabbing him by the throat.
De Geus, who was just 18 at the time, punched the worker and threatened to stab and kill him before making off with the two-figure sum.
The teenager was caught after his DNA was later found on the man’s wallet, which he’d handed back to him after removing the cash.
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie told Aberdeen Sheriff Court said the postman had been at the block delivering mail around 10am on September 1 last year.
On his way out, the man was met by De Geus, who he did not know, blocking his way on the stairs.
The postman tried to squeeze past but De Geus, who was wearing a Covid-style facemask, responded by asking if he was “starting on him”.
Ms Gammie said: “The accused then repeatedly said ‘give me all your money’, with the complainer responding that he didn’t have any cash.”
De Geus, who smelled strongly of alcohol, then grabbed the man by the neck and push him back against a wall, with his thumb and index finger over his throat.
Initially unsure if his assailant was trying to make a joke, the postman said: “Enough, pack it in.”
But De Geus reacted by punching his victim to the temple area and warning: “I will f****** stab you, I will f****** kill you.”
‘Various traumas during his upbringing’
When the postman took out his wallet, which contained £25 in notes, De Geus immediately grabbed it, barking “I want all of it” before he walked out of the building.
His victim picked up a number of cards which had fallen out of the wallet and followed De Geus outside.
De Geus then agreed to return the wallet and remaining cards, but first removed the remaining £3 in change, bringing his total haul from the robbery to £28.
Ms Gammie said: “The complainer contacted his manager who, in turn, contacted the police.
“The complainer was able to give officers a clear description of the accused and he was identified from CCTV footage from a shop near the locus at the material time.
“DNA from the accused was later found on the complainer’s clothing and on the complainer’s wallet.
‘This is a postal worker just going about his day-to-day work’
“The incident left the complainer shaken and scared.
“He also advised police that the incident scared him enough that he no longer wishes to deliver mail on that route anymore.”
De Geus, of Girdleness Road, Aberdeen, pled guilty to a charge of assault and robbery.
Defence agent Neil McRobert said his client had no recollection of the offence “due to consumption of alcohol”.
He added De Geus had faced “various traumas during his upbringing” but was now making more positive strides and his rate of offending slowing.
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told De Geus: “I think it’s a considerable aggravation that this is a postal worker just going about his day-to-day work, and he should be allowed to do that in safety.”
She handed De Geus a 12-month period of detention.
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