Man jailed following series of violent attacks

Sam Austin has been jailed following attacks on two men in Stoke-on-Trent

A man has been jailed for an attack which left his victim suffering concussion, two fractures to his face, a hole in his retina and a cut to his arm.

Sam Austin, 28, of no fixed address, was sentenced to nine years in prison at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court over the incident which took place in Wade Street, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent on 28 June 2023.

Police said Austin attacked the man by punching him and hitting him with a wrench following an argument over a bicycle and then left with jewellery, £60 cash and other belongings.

He also received a further one-year sentence after admitting an unrelated charge of affray at an earlier hearing.

Police said Austin stabbed a man in a fight in a supermarket car park in Hanley, in that incident in June 2021, according to police.

The victim suffered stab wounds to his arm and leg but the injuries were not life-threatening, police said.

Det Con Emma Blackband from Staffordshire Police said: “Austin is a prolific offender with a desire to follow a path of criminality.”

She added: “We have made the streets a safer place, removing an individual intent on breaking the law and doing physical harm to others.”