Racist Wigan thug who punched a nurse and robbed a shop with a meat cleaver is jailed for four years

The region’s chief prosecutor today said he was glad that Samson Crook, who pleaded guilty to all the charges against him another of which included battering his ex-partner, had been “taken off the streets”.

Bolton Crown Court was told that the 32-year-old, originally from Hindley but more recently of no fixed address, had terrorised and injured a number of people through his criminal behaviour.

The violence first flared when he was admitted as a patient to Salford Royal Hospital last November. He first punched a nurse and threatened to head butt him.

Security guards were called and he racially abused one of them while threatening to stab him and his colleague. The court heard he told the first guard: “You’re black and I don’t like you” and “I won’t stop, I am racist.”

When police attended he kicked out and spat at them.

The following month he attacked his former partner Victoria O’Neill. She had a restraining order out against him but woke in the night to find him asleep on the sofa at her home in Laurel Crescent, Hindley. She asked him to leave but he refused and punched her.

The robbery took place in February at the Swan Service Station, Hindley Green, where Crook was a regular.

The hearing was told that he refused to pay for cigarettes and pulled out a meat cleaver. He threatened the assistant, Bilaal Dwilla with it and made off with both the tobacco a chocolate bar he snatched from the stand.

He was given 32 months in prison for the robbery, nine months for possessing a bladed article, six for breaching the restraining order, five months each for the attacks on the nurse and security guard, two months for the common assault of Ms O’Neill and 10 months for racially aggravated harassment of the guard.

Some of the terms run concurrently and others consecutively, the result being that Crook was given a total of 48 months to serve.

A new 10-year restraining order preventing him from approaching Ms O’Neill or entering Laurel Crescent was also imposed.

After the hearing the Crown Prosecution Service’s North West chief crown prosecutor Martin Goldman said: “Crook, a self-proclaimed racist, terrorised innocent people, including a vulnerable woman and heroic emergency workers after his violent crime spree in Greater Manchester.

“I am glad he has been taken off our streets.”