Heartbroken dad launched brutal machete attack on man he thought was behind son's death

A bereaved father hatched a brutal revenge attack on a man he believed was responsible for his son's tragic death, placing a tracking device on his car before ambushing him and slashing him 21 times with a 16-inch machete as he left the gym.

Samson Price, 48, attacked his son's childhood friend Patrick Brown just days after a coroner ruled his son Samson Junior's death as accidental drowning.

A court heard how Price had been left 'disgruntled' after Brown was arrested during a police investigation into the death, but was later released without charge.

READ MORE: Worker in hospital after explosion at high-rise tower under construction in Manchester city centre

During his six-day trial, the Wigan dad told the jury he wanted Brown to 'live a long life full of suffering', and denied any intent to kill. However, he was unanimously convicted of attempted murder by a jury at Chester Crown Court in February. Today, Judge Michael Leeming handed him an extended sentence of 33 years, calling the attack 'chilling'.

Samson Junior tragically drowned in Westwood Flash in October 2020 during a camping trip with Brown and another male, who was also subsequently arrested then released without charge. The court heard how he 'wandered off' after taking a quantity of MDMA, before 'at some point' falling in the water.

A police investigation found that no third party involvement contributed to Samson Junior's death. However, the court heard how Price still held Brown 'responsible' for his son's death, carefully planning an attack which saw Price secretly fit Brown's van with a tracking device and stalking him for a week before ambushing him outside the Puregym in Northwich on September 23.

Price slashed Brown's scalp, face, back, both