A burglar stole wine valued at almost £300 from a Lake District hotel cellar while in a drunken stupor, a court was told.
Stuart Flett, 29, committed the offence at the Beech Hill, near Bowness-on-Windermere, on February 6 last year.
At Carlisle Crown Court this morning, Flett pleaded guilty to one charge of burglary relating to that date, having entered the property as a trespasser.
Flett pleaded not guilty to two charges which had alleged burglary of two other commercial premises in the nearby Storrs area on the same date.
A barrister representing Flett told Judge Michael Fanning: “He would say he was wandering around in a drunken stupor. He stole some wine.”
Flett had done this, said Brendan Burke, by kicking a door and entering a cellar area. Several bottles of wine, valued at £291.55, had been stolen.
Mr Burke said Flett was found “catatonic” by police, saying: “He was wandering around looking for somewhere to sleep. This all happens in a relatively short period of time. The defendant was very drunk.”
Prosecutor Andy Evans confirmed the seven bottles of wine were pinched the Beech Hill Hotel. “He was found, effectively, asleep by the police in a home officer of the third property (listed on the charge sheet).”
Flett’s offending had occurred early in the morning, the court was told, and he had no previous criminal convictions. Mr Evans said the prosecution would not be proceeding to trial on the two charges which were denied.
Judge Fanning adjourned the case and requested that a probation service pre-sentence report be prepared before punishment was passed on the single crime which was admitted.
Flett, of Collyhurst, Manchester, is due to be sentenced at the crown court on March 31.
In the meantime he has been granted unconditional bail.
