A notorious tip jar thief is facing a jail sentence for another spate of thefts and burglaries from shops and venues in Brighton.
Simon Hornby, 55, has been in and out of prison after racking up convictions for more than 200 offences, most of which are for theft and burglary.
He has become well known amongst hospitality and retail staff for stealing tip jars and possessions from staff rooms.
Today, he was at Brighton Magistrates Court to be sentenced for another clutch of similar offences – including stealing an ipad from the staff room at Forbidden Planet in West Street by stuffing it down his trousers in October last year.
He also stole three microphones worth £4,000 from Brighton Electric studios on Coombe Terrace in March this year by going in pretending to be meeting a friend – then tried to sell it to Cash Converters – but was not able to fence it after staff recognised him.
Prosecuting, Benjamin Parkinson said: “The defendant was turned away due to having previous dealings with him resulting in items being seized by police, leading to a financial loss to the business.
“On 3 April, he went back with an associate, who tried to sell one of the microphones while the defendant was paying close attention.
“It was the same cashier who recognised the defendant and contacted the studio as they recognised it from having been to the studios as a customer.
“The studios asked if the seller was Simon Hornby and was told yes. By the time the call ended, the defendant had fled the scene.”
Hornby had pleaded guilty to both burglaries at earlier hearings – to the Forbidden Planet offence on the day his trial was due to take place.
He also pleaded guilty to stealing the following:
- Beats Pill speaker worth £149 from the Apple Store in Churchill Square on 13 October last year
- A coat and baseball cap worth £317.95 from Cotswold Outdoor Store in Western Road on 27 October last year
- A gold bangle from H Samuel on 27 January this year
- Toilet roll and a loaf of bread from Waitrose in Western Road on 12 February this year
And he also admitted assaulting Arbab Muhammad Raess at Waitrose on the same date as the theft from there.
After being told of his extensive previous convictions, chair of the bench Claire McQuillan said the bench was declining jurisdiction as the potential sentence was beyond their powers.
Hornby was committed to Lewes Crown Court, where he will next appear on 27 June.
Does anyone else think he looks like the guy who smashed a stain glass window and stole money from St Mary’s Church in Kemptown in March?
Septic Si rides again!