A former trainee solicitor who was raised in the Isle of Man has been jailed for two years after threatening to slit the throat of a hotel worker as he tried to steal bar money.

Samuel Callister, 23, who attended Castle Rushen High School before studying law at Liverpool University, turned to drink and drugs after having financial difficulties following a fallout with his family.

Living in Hull at the time of the offence, Hull Crown Court heard that the law graduate had been staying at the Travelodge hotel in Pryme Street when he went to the reception desk and asked to borrow £100.

Mr Callister claimed he would pay back £200 the following day, but the member of staff refused to give him any cash.

After drinking downstairs and going back to his room, he returned to the bar and climbed over the counter, grabbing the victim by his shoulder and producing a piece from a smashed up bottle.

Prosecutor Jazmine Lee said: ‘He raised the smashed piece of glass to the victim and said “open the till or I will slit your throat”.

‘The victim immediately complied with the request.’

After taking around £100 from the till, he asked the staff member not to call the police for 10 minutes.

He then asked if he could leave through the back door, but was told that he could leave through the front door.

Mr Callister then told the victim that he ‘was a good man’ and offered to shake his hand.

Ms Lee said: ‘The victim was shaken up by what happened.

‘He was anxious and distressed, could not sleep and did not want to go to work.

‘There was an impact on other members of staff, who were worried that this sort of thing might happen to them.’

Mr Callister admitted robbery at the Travelodge in Hull city centre on July 27, 2023.

He handed himself in at Hull Royal Infirmary in the hope that there would be police there, before eventually being arrested.

Mr Callister had a 2:1 law degree from Liverpool University and previously worked as a trainee solicitor.

He had previously lived in the island but turned to drugs as a coping mechanism for isolation.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, he had been attending Cocaine Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous.

Holly Thompson, mitigating, said: ‘Mr Callister acted out of character and was sorry for what happened.

He was at the Travelodge following an argument with his family and he ran out of money.

‘He describes his actions as abhorrent and completely unacceptable.’

Judge John Thackray KC told Mr Callister: ‘This is a serious offence. Those who work unsociable hours in shops and hotels are vulnerable, as was your victim in this case.

‘You threatened your victim with a broken bottle.

‘This could have ended far worse.

‘The consequences could have been much more serious.

‘Your victim is struggling to come to terms with your offending.

‘Some people never recover from an attack like this

‘The only appropriate punishment can be achieved by way of an immediate custodial sentence.’

At the end of the hearing, Callister was sentenced to two years behind bars for his crimes.