4-year-old 'held ransom' for pizza

 

EXCLUSIVE by Ben Langford

Northern Territory News

September 9th, 2009 

 

A DARWIN mum is furious after a pizza delivery man allegedly grabbed her four-year-old son and tried to hold him as "ransom" for payment.

Cindy Paardekooper, 30, claims the driver from Pizza King at the Hibiscus Shopping Centre was an hour late delivering her half-Hawaiian, half-supreme.

When she refused to pay, the driver allegedly grabbed her four-year-old son Cain who was standing on the other side of the fence. ''He grabbed my son, four years old, by the arm through the fence as ransom for the pizza,'' Ms Paardekooper claimed.

''Grabbing a child, that's child abuse, that's assault.''

Ms Paardekooper was upstairs on the phone to Pizza King trying to negotiate a discount for the late pizza while her sister Lisa dealt with the driver at the gate.

Upset at the pizza being so late, she had called the shop before the driver arrived and said she would not pay.

She said she was told the driver would be informed.

Lisa Paardekooper claims the driver held Cain for 40 seconds, demanding cash. ''He said give me the pizza back or the money,'' she said. ''He stuck his hand through the gate and grabbed Cain around the wrist. I raised my fist to him ... when I raised my hand he let go of him.''

Cindy said that was no way to treat a child.

''If I was down there I would have jumped the fence and flogged him,'' she said.

''The manager didn't care (about the incident)when the cops went round,'' she claimed.

The driver left after the pizza was handed back over the fence to him. Pizza King manager Tessie Muscat Couturier yesterday said the driver still had his job.

''I was not there when it happened,'' she said.

''It's up to the police.

''According to him he just only held his hand to tell his mother to pick up the pizza.

''I can't believe he intended to harm the child.''

Police confirmed the incident was investigated after Ms Paardekooper reported it immediately, about 7pm last Saturday.

 

LINK TO PHOTO:

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/09/09/83071_ntnews.html