A SENIOR police officer has fired a warning to restaurant owners after a diner was jailed for stealing his 200th meal.
Alan Brown has eaten and drunk his fill at restaurants across the Fylde coast, recently enjoying an Indian meal at Bispham’s Curry Queen, pizza at Blackpool’s Pizza Express and Italian at town centre restaurant La Fontana.
But the 51-year-old has always refused to pay – and has noww been jailed for 128 days after failing to fork out after eating at Jade Delight, Bond Street, South Shore.
Brown, of no fixed address, ate a curry samosa, a chicken curry and balti rice, chicken fried rice, a banana split and drank five Tsing Tao beers before turning violent in the restaurant.
And Insp Jason Richardson, geographic inspector for Blackpool central, is warning restaurant owners not to let Brown in their businesses when he gets out.
He said: “Brown has been a plague to the town centre for a considerable period of time and he is well known.
“We want to make all the restaurants aware of him because people should not let him in.”
In the last 12 months, Brown has stolen 11 meals from Blackpool businesses Thai Taste on Topping Street, the Peppermill Cafe on Birley Street, Central Drive’s Red Pepper restaurant, The Cottage on Lytham Road, Toast on Corporation Street, the town centre branch of Pizza Express, La Fontana on Clifton Street and the Oriental Garden on Dickson Road, as well as from Curry Queen.
On Monday he was jailed for the second time this year after he appeared before Blackpool Magistrates’ Court and admitted obtaining services by deception.
Nicola Green, whose family run the Peppermill Cafe, told The Gazette the authorities need to act to stop Brown targeting businesses.
She added: “He is barred from here now and he needs barring from the town centre.
“He ran up a bill of about £50, he was ordering beers, prawn cocktails and dinners. But then when he tried to order something else I told him he had to pay and he got abusive.”
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