Craig Sharp jailed for dine and dash offences in Essex and Suffolk

Craig Sharp ran up bills at the Angel in Wangford, the Angel in Halesworth and also at a hotel in nearby Aldeburgh and also at venues in Chelmsford and Clacton in Essex and left without paying.

Sharp, 52, of Dockfield Avenue, Harwich, was jailed today at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to five counts of fraud by false representation.

It is estimated his total unpaid bill at the five venues was more than £8,000.

The offences were carried out across Suffolk and Essex from April to November 2023.

Sharp on the Thoroughfare in Halesworth outside of The Angel Hotel (Image: Submitted)

Sharp checked into the Angel in Wangford, between Beccles and Southwold, on Saturday, November 18, having initially just checked in for one night.

He extended his stay for an extra night - having a meal and several drinks on both evenings - before leaving in the morning without paying his £600 bill.

Sharp is said to have even bought a round for everyone in the bar, allowing their drinks to be put on his tab.

After leaving, he checked straight into the Angel in Halesworth, just seven miles down the road, and repeated the same tactic.

There, as previously reported by this newspaper, he stayed for three nights and left without paying the tab of £450 at the 16th-century inn.

Again, in another show of brazenness, he bought chocolates for the staff to thank them for their hospitality before leaving.

The Angel in Halesworth by Anglea Sharpe (Image: Anglea Sharpe)

In Halesworth, he racked up his bill with 15 pints of Birra Moretti, eight pints of Guinness, seven rum and cokes, three pints of Aspall, five bags of Mini Cheddars and three meals and other side dishes.

READ MORE: No Angel! Brazen 'dash-and-diner' Craig Sharp on £1k hotel spree even 'bought' rounds for locals

Craig Sharp has been sentenced after leaving more than £8,000 of unpaid bills (Image: Essex Police)

Magistrates heard Sharp stayed at the Kingscliff Hotel in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, and accumulated a bill of more than £5,000 for his accommodation, food and drink between April and August.

Sharp then stayed at a 15th-century Tudor house called Channels Hotel in Chelmsford, Essex, between November 15-19 and ran up a bill of £214.50.

The court heard that Sharp was the sole carer for his elderly parents and his defence barrister said that the "trips were an escape and a relief".

The Angel in Wangford by Nick Butcher (Image: Nick Butcher)

The court ordered Sharp to pay compensation to the respective venues.

Sharp has a history of convictions for similar dishonesty offences dating back to as early as 1990.

He was last jailed in 2021 for four offences of fraud by false representation which he committed before the 2020 coronavirus lockdown.

He was jailed for 48 weeks in total for those offences and was also ordered to pay compensation in full, a total of £2,579.82, to the four hotels involved.

Craig Sharp on CCTV pictured outside of the Angel in Halesworth (Image: Submitted)