A man and a woman who broke into an Inverness hotel made multiple trips to escape with their haul of alcohol and cash.
Philip Arnold and Stephanie Norman targeted the city’s Crown Court Hotel when no one was staying there in October 2020.
Cash was taken from the till and the pair lined up bottles of prosecco and spirits on the bar before making multiple trips to remove them from the building.
Arnold, 42, and Norman, 43, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court where both admitted the break-in and thefts.
Arnold also admitted charges of resisting, obstructing or hindering officers and assault.
Fiscal depute Pauline Gair told the court that the manager of the hotel had secured the premises at around 8pm on October 5 of 2020 because there was no guests resident at that time.
But in the early hours of the following morning Arnold and Norman entered the property through the main entrance.
Arnold went behind the reception desk and made several visits to the CCTV room before the pair left via a fire exit. A short time later, however, they returned.
Pair took ‘numerous bottles’ of spirits
Mrs Gair said: “Both accused entered the bar area via the fire exit door of the bar and were seen going behind the bar and removing numerous bottles of malt whisky, vodka and gins and rums.
“Thereafter bottles of prosecco are removed from the fridge and put on the bar.
“Money was removed from the till by Norman by way of a true key and put in a bag.
“Both accused then started to carry the alcohol out of the hotel before returning on two occasions to remove further bottles of alcohol.”
When the manager reported for work at 8am later that day he noted the damage to the fire exit and police were called.
CCTV footage was viewed and both Arnold and Norman, of Quayside Court, Inverness, were subsequently arrested.
Arnold, of Mackintosh Road Inverness, resisted arrest by tensing his arms and pushing against officers to the point that he had to be taken to the ground.
When he was taken into custody and put in a cell he targeted staff who had to check on him regularly due to his level of intoxication by attempting to bite one on the hand and kicking out at another, making contact with his thigh.
Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald deferred sentencing for the production of criminal justice social work reports and restriction of liberty assessments for the pair.
