AN ALCOHOLIC helped to steal wine and beer worth almost £650 from a top York hotel, a court heard.

The city's magistrates were told that Thomas Jack Kennedy, who lives at the Arc Light Centre, in Leeman Road, York, walked into the Royal York Hotel, in Station Road, with another man on February 10 this year.

Simon Ostler, prosecuting, said Kennedy and the other man walked into the hotel's events bar, and opened the grille covering the bar.

Kennedy, 37, then left the hotel with a carrier bag full of booze, while the other man took a crate of wine.

They carried their hoard back to the Arc Light Centre, before returning to the hotel with a third man.

More alcohol was stolen, which was again taken back to the centre.

Mr Ostler said several stolen bottles of wine were found in Kennedy's room when police arrived.

Other bottles had been handed to an Arc Light employee, because the centre forbids alcohol in residents' rooms after a certain time.

The employee, who was unaware the booze was stolen, labelled the bottles so the men could collect them the next day.

Mr Ostler said between 24 and 36 bottles of wine, costing £16.95 each, were taken, along with 12 bottles of lager costing £3.20 each. Two boxes of wine were also recovered.

Mitigating, Mark Thompson said Kennedy had been an alcoholic for "many, many years, and alcohol is the root of this evil".

Kennedy claimed he had not suggested burgling the hotel, and he was heavily intoxicated at the time.

Kennedy had gone along to carry the stolen goods, but was not involved in taking them from the bar shelves.

There was no confrontation with hotel staff or guests, and Kennedy claimed they never got to drink any of the booze.

Mr Thompson said: "He is realistic about his alcohol situation.

"He is keen to address it, but frightened as to the consequences, as he knows it will be very painful.

"But it may be more painful not to deal with it, as his health is deteriorating because of it."

But he said Kennedy had already started to tackle his problem through his own volition.

Kennedy, who pleaded guilty to burgling the hotel at an earlier hearing, was given an 18-month supervision order, including attending ten sessions to address his alcoholism.

He was also ordered to pay £50 towards compensation.