Waiter’s “18-year crime spree"

A hotel worker has been accused of stealing some 500 items from the Savoy, London, after an 18-month crime spree. According to the Daily Telegraph, the 54-year-old former waiter stole “pastry cutters, cutlery, chocolate, pots of jam, shelving and even a vacuum cleaner” from the prestigious hotel. Southwark Crown Court reportedly heard that his north London home contained goods including 187 items of crockery, 33 glasses, 21 knives, five silver trays and dishes, a candelabra and a shelving unit. The items were stashed “under his bed, in the kitchen, sitting room, garage and garden”. Mark Fenhalls, prosecuting, is quoted as saying that the hotel’s stock-takers had not noticed the disappearance. The waiter, who denies one count of theft, was made redundant in 2003. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd