Reality TV star who went on RUN after fraud that netted him £13,500 jailed for TWO years
A FUGITIVE reality television star is behind bars after being tracked down by police.
Christian Taylor went on the run two months ago after jumping bail
Christian Taylor went on the run two months ago after jumping bail on the morning of his trial for fraud at Exeter Crown Court.
The star of Channel 4's reality show The Hotel was found guilty and jailed for two years in his absence for ripping off a seaside holiday camp where he worked as a bar manager.
Police who were hunting him nicknamed him The Scarlet Pimpernel because he was so adept at changing his name and appearance.
He was picked up by police working at a hotel in Blackpool where he fled after being granted bail on the eve of his trial.
Taylor's moment of television stardom came in 2014 when he was working at the Grosvenor in Torquay.
He went on to run the White Horse in Barnstaple and worked at the Queens Head in Exeter.
The star of Channel 4's reality show The Hotel was found guilty
You failed to attend court on the day of your trial and were convicted and sentenced in your absence
Taylor, also known at Scott-Lee and Nigel McCartney was working as a bar supervisor at the Twitchen House Holiday Park at Mortehoe, North Devon in summer 2015 when he committed fraud.
He used his access to the tills to concoct an ingenious fiddle in which he entered enormous bogus refunds into the computerised till system.
They showed he repaying hundreds of pounds to customers for massive rounds of cocktails but in fact he was pocketing the money himself.
Taylor's moment of television stardom came in 2014 when he was working at the Grosvenor
He stole a total of £13,467.60 before he was caught.
Taylor, 50, was found guilty of fraud and has been jailed for two years in his absence by Judge Erik Salomonsen.
He admitted committing a bail act offence by failing to attend his trial
He was brought back in front of Recorder Philip Mott, QC, at Exeter Crown Court after being traced by police.
He admitted committing a bail act offence by failing to attend his trial and was jailed for a further two months.
The Recorder told him:"You failed to attend court on the day of your trial and were convicted and sentenced in your absence. That is a serious matter which can only be properly dealt with by a consecutive sentence."