Man jailed for stealing from Sheffield hotel guest after creeping into her room late at night

On the evening of October 28 this year, Scott Blake managed to bypass security measures at the Leopold Hotel in Sheffield city centre to make his way to part of the hotel where the guest rooms are, Sheffield Crown Court heard. 

Blake, aged 20, snuck into the room of a businesswoman, and as she was sleeping her rifled through her bag and stole her bank cards and car key, as well as the key card to her room and her car park ticket. 

Prosecutor, Neil Coxon, said Blake was caught on CCTV speaking with a member of staff on reception. 

'He said he was a resident there and had fallen out with his partner, and was going to the car to retrieve something,' said Mr Coxon, adding: 'He showed him the car park ticket, and asked if he could direct him to the Q car park because he wasn't familiar with the area.'

After being given directions to the car park, Blake left the hotel at 11.52pm, before making his way to the car park and stealing the woman's car.  

Mr Coxon told the court how Blake began using her contactless bank card less than 20 minutes later and made a number of contactless transactions totalling £111.85 at petrol stations, shops and McDonald's throughout the night, before the card was stopped the following morning when the guest woke up and realised her room had been burgled. 

After the woman called the police, the force put a marker on her Peugeot vehicle and the force caught Blake, of Mulberry Grove, Nottingham driving it near to Junction 29 of the M1 near Chesterfield on October 30. 

Blake, who has a number of previous convictions including burglary, shop lifting and theft, pleaded guilty to charges of burglary, fraud, taking a motor vehicle without consent and using a motor vehicle without a license at an earlier hearing. 

Jonathan Hullis, defending, told the court that Blake had a '˜very difficult childhood in care'. 

'The defendant left the care system, and was promised there would be a full package available to him, but the sad reality is that was very limited,' said Mr Hullis. 

He added: 'His benefits stopped, he found himself homeless and accepts he was drinking every day.

'It's his intention to take up paid employment again, as soon as he's able to.'

Judge Graham Reeds QC said that while he sympathised with Blake and the difficult upbringing he had experienced that led him to start off life in the wrong way, he did not feel able to suspend his sentence and sentenced him to two years in a young offenders' institute. 

'The fact she was present when the burglary took place, even if she was sleeping'¦.must have been terrifying for her when she realised,' said Judge Reeds, adding: 'As you get older, you will realise that if you are going to live a life outside of prison, you are going to have to grow up and take responsibility for your actions.'