Homeless man walks into 5-star hotel, eats steak, drinks champagne, leaves without paying
It’s not just the super-rich who get away without paying their fair share:: one homeless man showed how it’s done, too.
Michael Andrew Phillips, 52, had a ribeye steak and sipped top quality champagne at a five-star hotel before leaving without paying his £400 check. The man also booked a room at the luxury hotel in Jersey before making off with two more bottles.
Phillips was in the bar of the Old Court House hotel when staff told him he had to order food if he wanted to stay.
Phillips made the most of the lavish inn and ordered a prawn cocktail, followed by a ribeye cut, and, to wash it down, he requested a bottle of Dom Perignon, one of the world’s finest champagnes.
Phillips then asked for a £150-per-night room overlooking St Aubin harbor. He retreated to the room with another two bottles of unopened wine.
But despite providing his driving license as proof of identity at the time of his orders, the rough sleeper left the hotel without spending a single penny.
According to Centenier Amanda Wright, the man was not in the room in the morning and there was no indication of him having slept there.
But while the rich get away with it jn the Paradise Papers, not so the homeless.
Jersey police tracked Philips down and arrested him.
While saying he has no recollection of his ostentatious evening, he admitted to the offence of criminally and fraudulently obtaining food and lodgings.
Wright said: “He had prawn cocktail, ribeye steak, wine and a bottle of Dom Perignon.
"The bill was not paid and he asked for a room.
“He gave his driving licence as identification and had two bottles of unopened wine on him as he headed toward the hotel room.”
Phillips’ lawyer, John McCormick, said his client had suffered from mental health problems and had failed to take the correct medication.
He added that Phillips had been excluded from all local shelters at the time of the incident.
Phillips has now been set up with an appointment at the community’s mental health services, where they will try to find him accommodation.
Magistrate Bridget Shaw told Phillips: “You were not on the right medication at the time.
“As long as you keep taking your medication, there is no reason to believe that you will do anything like this again.”
Shaw ordered Phillips to compensate the hotel with whatever losses it incurred and bound him to good behavior for 12 months.
