Thug banned from Piccadilly Gardens after 'appalling' £20 cash machine robbery

A thug has been banned from Piccadilly Gardens after targeting a man who was withdrawing cash during an 'appalling' robbery. Carlloyd Samuels, 33, scuffled with his victim as he used a cash machine in Manchester city centre.

Moments earlier, Samuels had asked the man whether he had 'any change'. Then after robbing him of £20, he told the victim that he 'should have given money to a beggar' who was sat near to the ATM.

Samuels was hauled before a judge and pleaded guilty to robbery. As part of his punishment, he was banned from entering Piccadilly Gardens or Portland Street for the next six months.

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Manchester Crown Court heard that the victim was taking out £50 from a cash machine on the corner of Portland Street and Nicholas Street, close to Chinatown, just after 1am on January 25. Samuels appeared and he moved towards the ATM, trying to grab the money, prosecutor Helena Williams said.

He took £20 from him, but the man was able to stuff three £10 notes and his bank card inside his jacket. The victim was pushed during a scuffle, and shortly after Samuels fled and tried to hide in a telephone box.

Samuels, who was drunk at the time, was caught and brought before the courts. He has remained in custody ever since.

Defending, Huw Edwards argued the force used in the course of the robbery had been 'minimal'. He appealed for Samuels to be handed a suspended sentence so he could be released from prison, having served seven months on remand.

Mr Edwards said the supervision offered by the probation service would better serve Samuels to help him rehabilitate himself. The judge, Recorder Michael Duck KC, agreed but said it had been a