Woman burgled hotel and escaped in taxi

A woman who burgled a Blackpool hotel, stealing a till containing £300 cash and bottles of alcohol, made her escape by taxi.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Jul 2016, 12:17 BST
Updated 27th Jul 2016, 13:19 BST

Natasha Westhead then argued with the driver over alcohol which had spilled in the taxi and he alerted police after finding a piece of the stolen till in his cab.

Westhead, 25, of Charnley Road, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to burgling The Royal Vincent Hotel, Hull Road, and failed to comply with a community order.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Pam Smith, prosecuting, said CCTV showed Westhead burgling the Royal Vincent Hotel on June 15.

The total loss to the hotel was £500 to £600. Fingerprints found at the scene were Westhead’s.

Neal Brookes, prosecuting for the Probation Service, said Westhead had previously been sentenced to a 12-month community order for an offence of burglary.

She had twice failed to keep in touch with her probation officer.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Steven Townley, defending, said his client had little recollection of committing the burglary as she had been drinking with two men and was extremely drunk.

He said she believed they may have been drinking at the hotel and that she got a taxi back there later.

Westhead was addicted to class A drugs and wanted to go back into treatment to help her kick the habit.

Westhead was sentenced to a 12-week suspended prison sentence, put on a 12-week curfew from 7pm to 7am, given a two-month drug rehabilitation order and ordered to pay £300 compensation by District Judge Roger Lowe sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.