A former professional rugby league star is beginning a prison sentence for burgling a seaside hotel twice in one night. Darren Price, who played for Castleford Tigers in the early 1990s, turned to crime after a career-ending injury, Hull Crown Court heard yesterday.
After Price, 48, stole from eight-bedroom Sewerby Grange Hotel in Bridlington, he realised a safe he had taken only contained the key to another safe.
He then returned to the hotel, using the key he had found to unlock the second safe and steal two bags of coins.
Prosecutor Joanne Jenkins said: "The owners, Mr and Mrs Broom, left the premises secured at 10.30pm on April 3 this year.
"They returned to work at 6.30am the next day.
"Mr Broom noticed some things out of place. On entering the bar he saw the till had been rifled through. £500 had been taken."
Miss Jenkins said Mr Broom had then walked into the cellar, where papers had been strewn onto the floor.
"The cellar contained two safes," said Miss Jenkins.
"One of the safes, the smaller one, was missing."
In total, £2,710.54 and $3,000, as well as an iPod belonging to an employee, were stolen in the raid.
Price's DNA was found on a key fob at the scene and he was arrested on April 19 at his home in Marton View, Bridlington.
During a search of his home, officers recovered the iPod from Price's bedside cabinet.
Price told officers he had entered the hotel through an open window.
"He admitted taking the smaller safe," said Miss Jenkins.
"He forced it open in the garage at his property. He said he found nothing inside except for a key for the larger safe, so he returned to the hotel.
"He says he only found two bags of coins in this safe. He took those bags."
Miss Jenkins said the burglary put Price in breach of a six-month suspended prison sentence, which was imposed on January 13 this year for two offences of attempted burglary with intent to steal.
Price's barrister, John Thackray, said his client played for Castleford Tigers in the early 1990s, shortly before the Super League formed.
"All seemed well for him until he suffered a devastating injury to his knee," said Mr Thackray. "He then went off the rails."
Price was awarded compensation of £230 per week, but insisted he spent most of this money on his ailing mother.
"He claims he was not aware, at the time the offence was committed, that he was entitled to claim carers' allowance," said Mr Thackray.
In a bid to ease financial pressures, Price "succumbed to temptation" and turned to dishonest means to glean cash, according to his barrister.
Mr Thackray added that his client had already spent six and a half months in custody awaiting sentence, which he said "had a profound effect".
Jailing Price for 21 months, Judge Jeremy Richardson QC told him his fall from grace was entirely his own doing.
He told Price: "You broke into a hotel, you took a substantial amount of money. There was a level of disorder in the course of executing the burglary.
"The life you have led in the period of time since you were injured a number of years ago, ending your rugby league career, can only be described as truly sad.
"But you have brought that upon yourself. Your life has disintegrated.
"You were, I am told, a successful rugby league player.
"It is truly sad to see you in the dock. No one else is to blame."
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