'I'm no crackhead' says man who terrorised four people

Craig Hull, aged 42, appeared on a video link from Hewell Prison, to hear Telford magistrates sentence him after he pleaded guilty to four offences from September 2022 to February 8, 2023.

The court heard that Hull, listed as having no fixed abode, is known locally in Telford as "Crackhead Craig" - but he denied this on Wednesday, saying his problems were with cannabis and alcohol, not crack cocaine.

Katie Price, prosecuting, said Hull had offended while under an 18-month conditional discharge and had failed to surrender to the court.

Mrs Price read out victim impact statements to the court on behalf of Hull's victims.

She said Kris Haynes, who had been beaten up by Hull at the Barley Mow pub, in Madeley, Telford, on July 21, said he would not leave the pub and had been loitering in the beer garden, drinking other people's drinks. He had been banned from the pub but attempted to come back four times.

Hull had thrown his arms in a "windmill" fashion and committed a common assault.

He had also threatened to take food from the pub and get knives to "finish you off".

Mr Haynes said the 30-minute incident had "scared the **** out of me".

Hull had been charged with threatening to throw acid in the face and to kill Daniella Brooks at the Thomas Botfield pub, in Telford town centre, on September 22, 2022. He had also been shouting at customers, threatening to fight with them, and had threatened to get an axe and "chop people up".

Miss Brooks said the incident had lasted an hour and it had made her nervous and anxious.

Hull had also been charged with assault by beating after headbutting Edwina Willetts in a ten pin bowling alley in Telford on October 21, 2022.

She had said the assailant was well known as "Crackhead Craig" and he had headbutted her out of the blue on the left hand side causing a fat lip.

Hull has apparently challenged Edwina Willetts and asked her "Why are you grassing me up?"

The defendant also admitted a racially aggravated harassment incident towards security guard Ali Akhmed at Primark in Telford on February 8, 2023. The court heard that at 9.10am on the day Hull had been seen waving his arms around and shouting "I'm going to take this stuff."

Hull threw a bottle at Mr Akhmed who fell to the floor, hitting his elbow in the fracas.

Mr Akhmed said that after Hull had used a racial slur he felt "disrespected and humiliated" as he had been trying to do his job.

Martin McNamara, mitigating, said his client had initially pleaded not guilty to three of the charges but changed this before a crown court trial became necessary. He had already spent two-and-a-half months in custody.

Mr McNamara said his client had mental health issues but had accepted his bad behaviour, was remorseful, did not want to repeat his behaviour and was willing to work with probation.

Hull interrupted proceedings over the video link to the court to refute the claim that he took crack cocaine. He said his problems were with cannabis and alcohol. He added that he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Presiding magistrate David Silcock said the offences were "really quite serious".

He handed down four-month suspended jail sentences for three of the offences and a six-month sentence for the incident with the racial element. The sentences were suspended for 18 months.

Hull was ordered to pay £100 compensation for the headbutt on Edwina Willetts but none to the other victims as he lacks the means to pay. He was also told he would not have to pay court costs.