Career criminal branded 'inept and useless' by judge is finally jailed
A bare-chested troublemaker has been branded an "inept and useless career criminal" after he became abusive and started pushing food items down his tracksuit bottoms inside a Hull convenience store. Heavy-drinking David Salter had a long list of 182 previous offences and he was in breach of a 14-month suspended prison sentence at the time of the latest incident, a court heard.He had originally been spared prison at Hull Crown Court on February 21 last year for administering a noxious substance – bleach – with intent to cause injury and causing damage to items in the shop. Salter, 42, of Cambridge Grove, east Hull, but recently in custody on remand, admitted racially aggravated harassment that caused distress on August 12 last year.Molly Minter, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that Salter went to a convenience store in Beverley Road, Hull, at around 11am. A shop assistant noticed Salter enter the store.Salter was "mumbling and staggering" and asking for food. The member of staff refused and Salter began putting food down his tracksuit bottoms. Salter began being racially abusive towards the shop assistant.He left and returned shortly afterwards with a couple of other people. He again became abusive to the shop assistant. Police attended and Salter admitted he had drunk a significant amount of alcohol and had taken a number of tablets.The shop assistant later said that he was "feeling sick to the stomach and saddened after once again being racially abused." He said: "I come to work to serve the public."It is the straw that broke the camel's back. I wake up and come to work every day. I fear that one day I will not return in one piece. I am looking for another job."Salter had convictions for 182 previous offences. Judge Gurdial Singh said: "It is the equivalent to a novella" – a book with between 10,000 and 40,000 words. Salter was in breach of the 14-month suspended sentence imposed in February last year.Ben Hammersley, mitigating, said: "I have no way to argue against the activation of the suspended sentence order." Salter had spent four months in custody on remand. "He recognises, in the cool light of day, that it was appalling behaviour," said Mr Hammersley.Judge Singh said that Salter had gone into the shop topless and asked for food. When the shop assistant refused, he became abusive and made allegations about the employee. "I hope that made you proud and big as much as the alcoholic state did," said Judge Singh. "You are an inept and useless career criminal." The words used by Salter were "vile".Salter was jailed for a total of 14 weeks for the latest offence, with a consecutive 10 months after part of the suspended sentence was activated.The previous hearing at Hull Crown Court in February last year was told that Salter was in a raging "fury" on October 24, 2024 when he suddenly grabbed a bottle of bleach from a shelf in a shop, "chased" a terrified member of staff and started spraying the bleach towards him.He carried on squirting the bleach "all over the place" and it caused damage to a large number of items that were for sale in the shop. Some of the bleach splattered all over the man's shoulder and he at first feared that it had splashed in his face.The incident happened in the One Stop shop in Marfleet Lane, east Hull, when Salter followed a member of staff around the store. He took a bottle of bleach from a shelf and squirted it towards the man, who slipped on it.Items of stock, valued at £138, were damaged when Salter sprayed bleach over them. Salter also admitted possessing a knuckle duster as an offensive weapon in a private place and possessing cannabis on October 29, 2024. The knuckle duster that was found in Salter's possession was a "memento" but it was "illegal".At a later hearing at Hull Crown Court in December last year, Salter admitted obstructing police, failing to stop for police, having no insurance and not having the correct driving licence on July 27 last year. He also admitted breaching the 14-month suspended prison sentence.The court heard that day that Salter was desperate to stop police seizing his car when he tried to talk his way out of trouble by giving a false name when his vehicle was stopped. He hurriedly drove off.At about 4.55pm, police saw a blue Peugeot 208 car being driven along and recognised Salter. Checks revealed that he had no driving licence.He had a passenger in the car. Police illuminated their flashing blue lights and stopped Salter for the first time in Exeter Grove, east Hull. He gave the details of another person.He was allowed to continue on his way. Police made further checks and continued to follow the car at a distance. Salter was stopped for a second time in St John's Grove after his real identity was confirmed.He told police that it was a Motability car and he and his passenger made it clear that they would resist any attempts to seize it. He put the car into gear and drove off.The police lost sight of the car and it was not found until some time later.Salter was, that day, fined £100 and he was given an extra two days' rehabilitation for those latest offences.Did you know you can make Hull Live a preferred source of Hull news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? 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