A brazen dine-and-dasher who ran up a tab of more than £1,000 in back-to-back raids at two hotels even 'bought' a round of drinks for locals and gave staff a gift of chocolates.
The man first struck at the Angel in Wangford, between Beccles and Southwold, having initially just checked in for one night.
He extended his stay for an extra night - having a meal and several drinks on both evenings - before leaving in the morning without paying his £600 bill.
On one night, in a remarkable act of chutzpah, the man even 'bought' a round for everyone in the bar, allowing their drinks to be put on his tab.
After leaving, he checked straight into the Angel in Halesworth, just seven miles down the road, and repeated the same tactic.
There, as previously reported by this newspaper, he stayed for three nights and left without paying the tab of £450 at the 16th century inn.
Again, in another show of brazenness, he bought chocolates for staff to thank them for their hospitality before leaving.
In Halesworth, he racked up his bill with 15 pints of Birra Moretti, eight pints of Guinness, seven rum and cokes, three pints of Aspall, five bags of Mini Cheddars and three meals and other side dishes.
In another audacious move, the scammer checked in to both Angels using the name of a man who was previously convicted of a string of similar offences in Suffolk and Norfolk.
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That man - who has previous convictions for dishonesty offences dating back to 1990 - was jailed in 2021 after using the same trick of booking a room, staying for a number of nights and charging all food and drinks to the room before leaving without paying.
Bobbie Fensome, hotel manager at the Wangford Angel, said: "We have never had this happen before and it is just shocking.
"As a result, we have had to change our policy around bookings, we simply can't afford to be losing out on this sum of money and it is just heartbreaking."
She said the man - who checked in on November 18 - had bought a round for all the regular drinkers who were in the bar.
William Tennant, from the Halesworth Angel, said the man had a Suffolk accent, looked like he was in his 50s, and arrived by train on November 20.
He added: "We are an honest family-run business. It is a shame that this has happened to us, but the importance of speaking out is to raise awareness so other businesses are vigilant.
"It is a disappointing reflection on the human race and frankly rather sad that this person thinks it is okay to use and exploit businesses.
"We all put on a great service for the man, as we do all our customers, and for him to brazenly take advantage of us really takes the mickey.
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“He emailed to say ‘Sorry I had to leave in a rush, I’ll be back in time to check out and settle my bill, can I stay another night?’ or something. We never heard from him again.”
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Suffolk police have confirmed they are investigating the man's stay at the Angel in Wangford, while Action Fraud is investigating the Halesworth incident.
Nat Davies, chairwoman of Norwich Hospitality Association, said businesses in the industry should remain vigilant.
"Sadly hotels have always faced this issue of guests leaving without paying but it’s heightened more so at this time of year with all the hotels being extra busy," she said.
"There are a few ways hotels can protect themselves. Firstly, take payment upfront at the time of booking or at check-in, this then guarantees you the money for the room.
"Alternatively some hotels, like ourselves, offer a pre-authorisation.
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"This means we will take an imprint of the card and calculate the amount of the stay.
"This transaction is then completed upon departure. Because the guest has to enter their pin when the pre-authorisation is taken if the guest does then leave without completing the transaction we can then do this in their absence and then send on the receipt.
"This method is also helpful if the guest has extras such as food and drink throughout their stay.
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"These methods help but don’t sadly protect hotels from guests who either damage or steal from the rooms as this money is difficult to recover. The best prevention is to be vigilant."
IF YOU HAVE BEEN A VICTIM OF A DINE-AND-DASHER IN THE AREA THEN PLEASE GET IN TOUCH AND SHARE YOUR STORY.
Email: bruno.brown@newsquest.co.uk
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