Aldershot: Deliveroo driver who bit his thumb receives suspended sentence

A food delivery driver who bit off a customer’s thumb has been sentenced to a suspended prison sentence.

Jeniffer Rocha, 35, attacked Stephen Jenkinson during an argument over a pizza order from Deliveroo in Aldershot, Hampshire, in December 2022.

She had previously pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm at Winchester Crown Court.

Rocha was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, at Salisbury Crown Court.

Warning: This story contains graphic images and details that some readers may find disturbing

Mr Jenkinson’s partner ordered a pizza via the food delivery app on December 14, 2022.

But Rocha arrived at the wrong place, namely on the same street as the customer’s house, prosecutors said.

When he went to pick up his food, he forgot his phone and there was a brief argument about the delivery code number he had to provide.

Mr Jenkinson said he was then bitten as if he had “gone through a chainsaw”.

“I just remember shaking her helmet and trying to pull it off,” the 36-year-old plumber told the BBC.

“She must have bitten with such force that it was ripped right off.”

John Hepworth, prosecuting, said: “Mr Jenkinson has suffered life-changing injuries, the impact of which cannot be underestimated.

“This attack changed his life forever.

“Jeniffer Rocha’s attack went far beyond the necessary use of force and her behavior was completely unacceptable.”

In April, BBC News filmed Rocha continuing to deliver food despite Deliveroo taking action against her.

The company said it had previously terminated an account she used in December and subsequently closed a second account.

Rocha had worked as a so-called “substitute driver” and shared another person’s account.

The three major delivery apps – Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats – announced in April that they would tighten their systems for verifying the identity of “replacement drivers”.

A Deliveroo spokesman said: “This was a truly horrific incident. We have fully co-operated with the police in their investigation and our thoughts are with Mr Jenkinson.”