Burglar who raided seaside amusements found hiding behind an arcade game

Tristam Francis stole cash from fruit machines and an ATM (Picture: SWNS)

A burglar who thought he’d hit the jackpot at a seaside amusement park has been spared jail after stealing cash from fruit machines.

Tristram Francis broke into Neptunes Arcade on Bognor Regis Pier in Sussex, smashing a window and forcing open an ATM on August 29.

Police were alerted by the intruder alarm and arrived at the amusement arcade to find the doors had been forced open and shattered glass was strewn across the floor.

They searched for suspects, but couldn’t find anyone until they heard the sound of coins coming from behind a dance game machine.

Officers found Francis but he refused to come out from his hiding spot behind the arcade game, forcing police to grab hold of him and haul him out.

The arrest was caught on CCTV, with one officer telling Francis: ‘I can ID you mate, I nicked you the other day.’

The force said he’d also burgled an office in Brighton, where he stole around £3,000 worth of electrical equipment including laptops, cameras and charging cables.

Francis emptied cash out of fruit machines (Picture: SWNS)

He also tried to break a cash machine open (Picture: SWNS)

Police found him hiding behind a dance arcade game (Picture: SWNS)

Francis, 40, pleaded guilty to both offences and was given a suspended jail sentence at Crawley magistrates court last week.

He was also required to take part in a drug rehabilitation program for the next 12 months.

Speaking after sentencing, investigating officer Caitlin O’Dwyer said: ‘Despite his clear dependency on drug use, the actions of Francis on these two occasions were completely unacceptable.

‘He caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to an arcade frequented by families, locals and tourists, and the business owners were faced with the massive inconvenience of getting that damage repaired.

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‘He also stole numerous electrical items from an office in Brighton, again causing a huge inconvenience to the victims.

‘We hope this conviction enables Francis to receive the help he needs to get him back on the right path.

‘He has been warned that if he commits any further offences within the next 18 months, he could face immediate imprisonment.’

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