"I don't care. I know where you live, I will kill you."
Businessman Ali Golzari, aged 41, of Birmingham, was jailed for five years and four months after he threatened a sex worker with a knife following an encounter at a hotel.
Leicester Crown Court heard he later stole her money following the incident on November 26, 2018.
Golzari had contacted the woman on a website which offered sexual services and they arranged to meet in a room she had booked in Leicester city centre.
It was agreed via text messages he would pay her £90 for half an hour.
When Golzari arrived, he handed over the money and the woman performed the sexual services requested.
As she was getting dressed he “turned angry” and pushed her against a wall.
The prosecutor James Thomas said Golzari grabbed her handbag from a table but the woman fought back.
He said: “He pulled her to the floor where they were struggling over possession of the handbag.
“He produced a knife and threatened her with it.”
The scared victim described holding Golzari’s arm “so it couldn’t go near my throat”.
She said Golzari called her a slag and said he was going to take all her money. He then took £120 and as he was leaving, the woman told him the police would catch him.
Golzari replied: “I don’t care. I know where you live, I will kill you.”
The victim suffered bruising to her chest and arms. She reported the robbery via a sexual services helpline the next day.
When he was arrested, Golzari claimed he was an unhappy customer who only took back the £90 he originally paid.
Mr Thomas explained that the defendant told officers he had previously taken back money from escorts when he had received “bad service”.
Judge Robert Brown explained: “He went there with a knife in his pocket and, for her, it must have been absolutely terrifying.”
Golzari only pleaded guilty to the robbery on the day of his trial after the woman endured the anxiety of thinking she would have to give evidence until “right to the door of the court”.
Judge Brown told the businessman: “You robbed her at knifepoint in what would have been a very frightening ordeal.
“You went to her as an escort and agreed there would be sexual activity – and you had what you wanted.
“After that, your mood towards this lady changed completely. She was in the stages of getting dressed and you took her bag to take her money.
“It happened in an isolated private room and you drew out a knife and threatened her with it.”
“You put her against a wall and both wrestled on the floor as she fought for her handbag.
“You took £120 from her purse and made off. I’ve seen photographs of the bruise marks on her arms and upper chest area.
“She was vulnerable because of the nature of her work and because of the state of undress she was in when you robbed her.
“I’m told there’s some remorse from you.”
Pushpanjali Gohil, mitigating, explained that Golzari was from a law-abiding family and was a businessman who ran a private car hire firm, employing two full-time and some part-time staff.
She said: “He has no relevant or recent convictions.”
Miss Gohil said after the sexual activity took place, there appeared to have been “a fast-moving incident” as they were fighting over the woman’s handbag when Golzari tried to get his money back.
She stated that the woman initially claimed that Golzari produced the knife only when she kicked the defendant.
Miss Gohil said: “He hasn’t produced the knife in a menacing or pre-planned way.
“They had a scuffle and he then produced the knife; it’s a different species of robbery.
“To have hurt someone and frightened someone in this way, he knows he’s let himself down extremely badly.
“He has no desire to use the services of an escort ever again.”
Ali Golzari was sentenced to five years and four months on May 20, 2019.
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