Harrogate restaurant burgled twice in the same night – by two different sets of men in freak turn of events

A pair of intruders broke into the HG1 Bar & Grill in the early hours of November 10 last year by forcing through the front door, York Crown Court heard.

One of the managers woke up just before 6am the same morning and reviewed retrospective CCTV of the restaurant, which was linked to his phone, said prosecutor Brooke Morrison.

He saw two men breaking into the property in Cheltenham Crescent just after midnight.

There had been some ransacking of the bar, but it wasn’t clear if anything had been stolen.

“But about 20 minutes later, (the named manager) is looking at his phone and it seems there was a second burglary,” added Ms Morrison.

“Two more males walked into the property via the front door and walked behind the bar area.

"They took a number of bottles of alcohol and put them in a black bin bag.

"One of the men then attempted to adjust the CCTV behind the bar.”

The bar manager called police out and showed them the video footage on his phone.

An officer recognised one of the men who had broken into the restaurant in the second raid.

That man was 35-year-old Scott Bradley, who had a record for thievery and burglary and who had simply walked into the restaurant unimpeded as the door had been forced through following the first raid.

Bradley, of Bramham Drive, Harrogate, was arrested on the same day but remained silent in police interview.

However, he pleaded guilty to burglary when the case reached court and appeared for sentence today.

Ms Morrison said the value of the stolen bottles of spirits stolen was unknown but thought to be relatively low.

“This was something of an impulsive or unplanned burglary,” she added.

“The door was left insecure by the previous burglary.”

She said the “damage and disturbance” to the bar was “predominantly caused by the first two men to enter the property”.

Bradley had 25 previous convictions for 51 offences including many for shoplifting.

He also had a previous conviction for burglary at commercial premises.

In December last year he was fined at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court for possessing heroin.

Just before the new year, he failed to turn up at the Crown Court for a first hearing on the burglary charge, but claimed he had reasonable excuse because he had developed blood clots in his leg due to substance abuse.

Defence barrister Oliver Connor was spared the need for mitigation after Recorder Richard Wright KC said he wouldn’t be sending Bradley to jail.

He said that because there was “no sophistication” to the burglary, the value of the stolen items was low and Bradley had admitted the offence, he could deal with the case by way of a community disposal.

Bradley was given a 12-month community order with 15 rehabilitation-activity days.