Former X-Factor contestant and drag queen known as Dragalicious at Garlands in Blackpool stole £14k from pub
“Temptation had got the better of him.”
A drag artist who performs at a resort club stole more than £14,000 from a pub he managed.
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Forty-year-old Scott Hallas - who performs at Garlands in Blackpool under the name Dragalicious - took the cash from the till while working at The Fleece in Skipton, North Yorkshire. He also performed in drag and the pub and was caught when the premises installed card machines and the owners noticed an increase in revenue.
Hallas, of Westcroft, Honley, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to repay £6,000 in compensation over two years. His solicitor at Harrogate Magistrates Court said "temptation had got the better of him" while Hallas went through a period of drinking and poor mental health.
Magistrates said his offence seemed "very out of character". He was also ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation activity days and undergo mental health treatment.
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X-Factor
Hallas was sacked when his stealing came to light and he has since worked as a drag performer at venues, including Garlands on Talbot Road. He performs every Thursday and Friday at the LGBT bar alongside fellow drag artists Aariella Galore and Campy Galore.
As a 22-year-old he got to the final 50 Boot Camp stage on X-Factor. He went through after joining 12,000 people for the show auditions in Manchester. His final performance was Amy Winehouse's version of Valerie by the Zutons.
At the time, he said: "I had virtually no experience of performing, especially out of drag and I don't think I'd have been able to cope with the latter stages at this point."
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Six years later, while working at the Socialist Club in his hometown, Hallas was threatened at knife-point during a robbery. The attack happened as he opened up the bar for the evening. A teenager with a kitchen knife walked into the bar and ordered him to fill a bag with money from the till, the safe and a cash box.
This week, fans on Facebook described him as "a lovely, bubbly person". One added: "I can't believe he would do a thing like this".
Garlands has been approached for a comment.