Theft

Strangest things stolen from pubs

20-Nov-2019 By Alice Leader

An ambitious punter may think it’s a great idea to steal a souvenir as a stamp of a joyous night, but the word ‘souvenir’ may be up for debate here.

Fruit machine raider could face jail

30-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

A thief who stole thousands of pounds from five bars and social clubs across Northumberland and Tyneside, pleaded guilty to four counts of burglary and was found guilty of a fifth after a trial.

Pubs are top for fashion theft

28-Sep-2017 By Michelle Perrett

Pubs are a breeding ground for designer clothing to be stolen, with almost a third (31%) of people claiming they have had items stolen while in the boozer.

Man who stole cash and flooded pub is jailed

22-Sep-2017 By Georgina Townshend

A man who flooded a pub after breaking in, 'trashed' the pub and stole cash, has been sent to jail.

How to stop pub staff from stealing

22-Sep-2017 By Georgina Townshend

No one likes to think it could happen but publicans are vulnerable to having cash and stock stolen from right under their noses by employees. Here, a top legal expert offers advice on how to stop it.

Court

Licensee found guilty of fraud after fiddling tills

14-Dec-2015 By Oli Gross

A former licensee has been found guilty of fraud after fiddling the tills to ensure that some drinks sales were registered as food.

Legal

Advice: Beware of theft from fruit machines

10-Dec-2015 By Poppleston Allen

You may have seen in the press, recently, news of a number of thefts from gaming machines in pubs across the south-west and, although these crimes are uncommon, they do happen.

Local pub news

Thief hid in Wetherspoons pub while staff locked up before stealing £3,500

16-Sep-2015 By Oli Gross

A thief hid in a Cambridge pub until closing time, stayed out of sight while staff locked up, before stealing £3,500 from its slot machines.

Licensee gets surprise apology for burglary committed in 1992

03-Jul-2014 By Noli Dinkovski

A Cheshire licensee has spoken of her surprise after receiving a letter of apology and £100 for a burglary that took place 22 years ago.

Licensees warned to be alert over Christmas crime risk

03-Dec-2013 By Michelle Perrett

Licensees and operators have been warned to be alert to the increased risk of crime as the Christmas period approaches.

Rise in empty pubs being targeted by metal thiefs

30-Jan-2013 By Gurjit Degun

Owners of empty pubs are being warned to make sure that their property is secure or risk losing thousands of pounds due to an increase in metal theft.

Romanian couple convicted for stealing beer kegs worth £76,000

13-Nov-2012 By Adam Pescod

A married Romanian couple have been convicted of stealing beer kegs worth £76,000.

Staff theft: Licensees warned to "keep an eye out" at their pubs

02-Nov-2012 By Adam Pescod

Licensees must “keep an eye on their staff at all times” to deal with the issue of employee theft, which cost British retail and hospitality businesses £1.7bn last year.

Man pleads guilty to pub burglaries in Devon

01-Aug-2012 By Gurjit Degun

A man targeting Devon pubs with fruit machines pleaded guilty to four counts of burglary in four outlets, at Plymouth magistrates’ court.

Pubs warned over pre-Christmas robberies

21-Nov-2011 By Michelle Perrett

The Metropolitan Police has urged licensees to be vigilant about robbery prevention in the lead-up to Christmas.The Met’s Flying Squad co-ordinator Mark Beale said prevention should be the focus for publicans and has urged them to take action now.

Smooth criminals: my love affair with pub's founders after laptop theft

18-Oct-2011 By Pete Brown

I’ve written a great deal over the past eight years about how much I love pubs, about how I see the pub as the crucible of everything that’s good about humanity: the warmth, good cheer and democracy, the benign anarchy, the hint of surrealism, the tradition,...

M&B wins licence conditions case

30-Aug-2011 By Michelle Perrett

Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has won a ground-breaking appeal against a premises licence condition that would have forced it to fit ‘privacy shields’ to hand-held PDQ machines at the Goat in Clapham, London.

Clawing back your losses

18-May-2011 By Peter Coulson

Some licensees may not be aware of is the controversy surrounding the whole question of civil recovery, says Peter Coulson.

Pubs could pursue claims against yobs

08-Feb-2011 By John Harrington

Licensees are being offered a way to claim money from troublemakers who damage their property or attack their staff, under a scheme being led by...

FLVA will stand by MP Eric Illsley

19-May-2010 By John Harrington

The FLVA president says he will stand by the group's Parliamentary adviser Eric Illsley MP, who faces court over expenses allegations.

Thieving bar manager leaves pub struggling

19-Mar-2009 By Matt Eley Matt

A pub owner has revealed how a thieving bar manager left his business in a perilous position. Tom Helliwell, licensee of the Woodman in Highgate,...

Police crackdown on beer keg thefts

15-Jan-2009 By John Harrington

The Government has announced a crackdown on rogue scrap-metal dealers to target the epidemic of beer keg thefts. A new National Metal Theft Crime...

All things being equal...

10-Jul-2008

It is the lot of every solicitor that there will be a dinner party question folk cannot resist asking for every area of law. For the criminal lawyer...

Keg deposit scheme will be cash-neutral

06-Dec-2007 By John Harrington

The forthcoming keg-deposit scheme will be "cash-neutral" for licensees

Security Focus: Keeping an eye on the till

09-Nov-2007

Rogue barstaff be warned: the eye in the sky is increasingly watchful. Whether it's staff occasionally ringing through voids when they're actually...

Licensees praised for helping cut crime

09-Oct-2006

Police in Manchester have hailed an operation to reduce the number of thefts in city centre pubs, bars and clubs. Police say crime was cut by 28 per...

Del Boy thriving on £1billion black market in pubs

08-May-2006 By Iain O'Neil

A new survey says there is roaring trade with £1billion pounds changing hands in Britain's pubs - trouble is the money is not going to licensees....

Pubs a hotbed for illegal traders, research shows

08-May-2006

Around 12 per cent of people admit they have bought items such as DVDs, jewellery or electrical items in a pub, spending an average of £168 each,...

Masked raiders haul host from his bed

04-Nov-2004

A host was woken by two masked men and threatened with a knife during an early-morning robbery in Manchester. The two raiders got into the Bandstand...

Conman gets six years

29-Sep-2004

Police have praised The Publican for its role in the capture of a conman who cheated licensees out of thousands of pounds.Ben Saint James was caught...

Pub boss is tied to loo

12-Jun-2003

A pub manager was left bound to a toilet for nine hours as customers carried on drinking just yards away. Gary Hopwood was tied to a loo in his...

Crook driven round bend

15-May-2003

A would-be thief became trapped in a chimney for seven hours while trying to break into a pub, a court heard. David Gardner, 28, of Newbiggin Hall...

Game machine thefts cost trade millions each year

22-Aug-2001

Reports suggest the pub industry is losing as much as £50m every year due to organised gangs stealing money from games machines. The Observer...