A prolific thief who stole more than £23,000 worth of valuable items from victims' lockers as they used leisure facilities, and then defrauded them out of over £18,000, has been jailed.

Nicholas Hughes, of Guilsborough Road, Binley, Coventry, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday 24 October where he was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.

The 51-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to 14 counts of theft and 12 counts of fraud covering Cheshire and various other counties between February 2023 and June 2024, specifically targeting victims using luxury spa and gym facilities.

Incidents took place at various places across Cheshire, including at Mottram Hall in Wilmslow on 28 June 2024.

Operation Artefact was commenced by Ellesmere Port Proactive Team in June 2024 after receiving reports of a high value theft from Craxton Wood Hotel and Spa in Chester.

Along with a watch, the victim's bank cards and driving licence had been stolen from his locker, with the cards subsequently being used in several fraudulent transactions in Ellesmere Port.

A detailed investigation was then commenced by officers who quickly identified Hughes as a suspect. Subsequent checks on Hughes identified that he was wanted for similar offences in several different counties throughout the UK.

Hughes, who has numerous previous convictions for similar offences, was targeting spa and leisure facilities around the country, breaking into his victims' lockers whilst they were using the facilities.

He stole high value items and sentimental jewellery from the lockers, including watches, car keys, cash, and bank cards.

In many cases, he then went on to use stolen bank cards for fraudulent transactions, making purchases at a variety of locations, including betting shops and supermarkets.

Cheshire Police officers commenced a manhunt for Hughes, and he was subsequently located and arrested at Bath Train Station on 10 July 2024.

At the time of his arrest, Hughes was in possession of two of the victims' driving licences, plus clothing which he was wearing at several of the offence locations.

He was ultimately charged with several high value theft and fraud offences.

The total value of items stolen was £23,495. The total value of the fraudulent transactions was £18,012.

Following the sentencing, DC Mike Rogers said: "Hughes is a prolific offender and is now rightly behind bars for his appalling behaviour. He deliberately chose to target luxury facilities, accessing the changing rooms and stealing from people's lockers as they were exercising in the gym or enjoying the spa.

"His brazen efforts saw him steal from locations across the country, using the exact same method. He even stole from three different lockers in the same hotel changing room in one day.

"The items he stole were high value and some of the jewellery was also incredibly sentimental to the victims and unfortunately can never be replaced.

"Bringing Hughes to justice was a fantastic team effort from Ellesmere Port Proactive CID. A large amount of work went into the investigation, allowing officers to finally put a stop to his offending in July by arresting him in Bath.

"I hope this serves as a reminder of our commitment to making Cheshire a hostile environment for criminals – you will be caught, and we will bring you to justice."

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