Man jailed for two-month fraud spree at Harrogate and York hotels

A man has been jailed for embarking on a two-month fraud spree at hotels in Harrogate and York at the end of last year.

Parmpareet Singh-Pooni, of no fixed address, admitted two offences at the Crowne Plaza on King’s Road in Harrogate when he appeared before magistrates in York on Monday.

He pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining accommodation, food and drinks by claiming he was called Nikko Singh and not paying for them between November 3 and 6.

Singh-Pooni also admitted trying the same ruse at the Crowne Plaza on either November 23 and 24.

He pleaded guilty to stealing £140 cash from behind the reception at the Dean Court hotel in York on December 17 and defrauding Malmaison in York by giving another false name and not paying for food and drink between December 27 and 31.

He was jailed for 10 weeks, with court documents saying he was jailed because of the number of offences, his record and due to the fact he was on recall.

Singh-Pooni was also ordered to pay compensation totalling £1,083 to the Crowne Plaza, £140 to the Dean Court Hotel and £452 to Malmaison.

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Obituary: John Abel, managing director of Harrogate International Hotel

John Abel, the founder and first managing director of the Harrogate International Hotel which is now the Crowne Plaza, has died after a short illness. 

The son of a banker, Mr Abel attended Culford School in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk and subsequently qualified as a chef from the Birmingham College of Food – although he never cooked at home – followed by a hotel management course. 

He started his hotelier career in Norfolk, before moving to Harrogate in 1970 to become managing director of the St George Hotel. 

Following the sale of the hotel, the money was raised for building the then Harrogate International Hotel. Mr Abel, as its first managing director oversaw the construction of the hotel, which he proudly delivered on schedule and on budget, with it formally opening in January 1985. 

Renowned for his genteel nature and sense of fun, he subsequently joined Allott and Associates as a new business manager and is credited with winning lots of new accounts, many of which are still active with the business today. Latterly, he was retained as an associate and oversaw the advertising department.

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Outside work he enjoyed fine dining and horse racing. His passion for horse racing was caught from his wife Vivien and together they spent a lot of their spare time attending fixtures and he was a keen member of York Racecourse for over 45 years. 

Ultimately, Mr Abel was a people person. He was passionate about Harrogate and protecting its heritage and where necessary he didn’t hold back from ensuring that those in elected office were aware of his concerns.

He was a church elder at St. Paul’s United Reformed Church in Harrogate and together with Vivien visited elderly people as far afield as Scarborough, to support them. 

At home, Mr Abel loved gardening and visiting the eateries and shops in Harrogate. 

Mr Abel died on October 4, aged 81. He is survived by his wife Vivien, who he was married to for 52 years, and his younger brother Guy, who lives in New Zealand. 

This obituary was written by Philip Allott, founder of Allott and Associates.

 

Harrogate hotels ready to offer beds for coronavirus patients

Three major Harrogate hotels are ready to offer up beds to the NHS for coronavirus patients should they asked to help.

The Crowne Plaza, Cedar Court Harrogate and the Majestic Hotel and Spa have all thrown their weight behind the proposals.

Each have hundreds of beds which could be used to ease pressure on the NHS.

The hotel beds could be used for those patients on the recovery path, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed on Sky News.

NHS England’s media team has declined to give more details.

When asked about the potential for hotel beds to be used Mr Hancock said:

“We would only ever do that if it was clinically the right thing for somebody.

“But in some cases, people need step-down care, they don’t actually need to be in a hospital bed.”

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Wayne Topley, the managing director of the Cedar Court Hotels Group Yorkshire, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are here to help and in the spirit of kindness we are focused on what our hotels can do to support the now critical effort.

“In Harrogate we are in touch with number of care providers, primarily the hospital itself. We have reached out to offer our support and they know we are here if they need us.”

A spokesman for the Cairn Hotel Group, which owns and operates the Majestic Hotel and Spa, also said:

“We are delighted to be partnering with other industry leaders to offer support and help to the NHS if and when needed.”

A spokesman for the Crowne Plaza, which is connected to Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital and pictured above lighting up for the NHS, said:

“We already have a good working relationship with the NHS team in Harrogate. We are open to further conversation.”

Harrogate District Hospital confirmed yesterday that it currently has 47 coronavirus patients, up from 28 a week ago.

This surge in patients has forced the hospital to postpone some non-emergency surgeries to free up space and staff to deal with coronavirus patients.