Burglar spotted on CCTV wearing a ‘rather odd choice of clothing’ after breaking into hotel

A burglar was spotted on CCTV wandering around a hotel he’d broken into wearing a high-vis jacket. Ryan Parker had sneaked into the Mitre Hotel, in the city centre, at around 5am when he caught the attention of the female guard.

The night porter, who was sat in reception monitoring the CCTV cameras, heard something fall and saw Parker, 49, walk past the camera wearing the neon-coloured jacket.

“You entered and were seen on CCTV by a witness, and curiously, wearing a high-visibility jacket. It seems to be a rather odd choice of clothing for somebody involved in a burglary,” Recorder Imran Shafi KC said in sentencing.

READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community

Immediately calling the police, she watched as he walked past the bar area and attempted to steal a TV. Officers arrived in time and were able to catch him in the act.

Parker, of Wythenshawe, who has over 150 offences on his criminal record, was jailed for 18 months at Manchester Crown Court.

Clare Thomas, prosecuting, said the night porter began work at 11pm on March 19 this year, and had completed her half-hourly checks around the hotel when she sat down in reception at 5.30am.

“She was alerted to the sound of something falling, she saw someone’s leg move [on CCTV] and saw a high-vis jacket,” the prosecutor said.

“She called the police as she knew nobody else was in the building and no other staff were left. As she made the call she saw somebody walk past the camera into the bar area and start to touch the TV from behind, before pulling at a cord.”

When the police arrived they discovered an open window with a number of tables which were knocked over. They also found a crow bar behind the bar, which Parker disputed possession of.

Parker