Christopher Travis, 52, enjoyed eating out at restaurants across the UK, however, didn’t like to pay for the bill very often.
Travis, who had an Asbo (Antisocial behaviour order) banning him from every pub and restaurant in England and Wales, didn’t stop him from doing a runner when it came to paying for the bill.
Now the diner is in jail after getting caught for not paying to dine in a restaurant in Oxford, for the fourth time.
Restaurant owners across the UK, received the news well when last night, Oxford magistrates’ decision to dish out a prison sentence, but it was questioned how an Asbo could be enforced nationwide.
Owner of the Old Bank Hotel and Quod restaurant in Oxford, Jeremy Mogfod, questioned the point of the order. Mogford, who owns restaurants where Travis ate and didn’t pay for last November, said “Is it practical? He will get away with it again and again.
“I think what someone needs to do is send a photograph of him to every bar and restaurant in the country, and that’s not practical.”
Travis, who doesn’t have a permanent home, was arrested shortly after he left the Queen’s Lane Coffee House in the centre of Oxford, without paying for his bill.
He received his 3 year Asbo, in 2010 at South Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court in June 2010 after he ate in a Derby restaurant and legged it without paying for the food.
However, since Travis was given the Asbo, he continued to eat out without paying for the bills, before arriving in Oxfordshire in 2010.
Travis was jailed on Monday for 12 weeks and was charged with breaching the terms of his Asbo, using threatening behaviour and words and leaving restaurants without payment.
Most restaurants are already struggling with the costs of running their establishments, which includes the increased cost of restaurant insurance UK, hiring staff, supplies and rent.
Clinton Pugh, Oxford restaurateur who owns Cafe Coco, said “The economy is very, very difficult for restaurants at the moment and we can do without it.
“Restaurants have not got time to deal with the police, but I agree he should go to jail.”
Mogford said, “This kind of crime has happened very rarely here, but we have found that the police have always been really pretty good on this particular problem.”
Deputy leader of Oxford City Council, Ed Turner, said “Clearly, we welcome that the Oxford Mail is now putting the information out and about in Oxford so that people can look out for this sort of thing happening.
“I think the point of a nationwide Asbo will make it easier for this person to be prosecuted.
“I am glad he has been dealt with through the courts and let’s hope that this behaviour now stops.”
