A man asked if a bar had any jobs going, drank three pints of premium lager – and then admitted he couldn’t pay for them.
Rather than handing over his CV at the Citi Terrace in Canterbury, Christopher Elliott sank some Peronis, each costing £7.70.
Christopher Elliott admitted making off without payment for the three pints of Peroni
He then said he had left his bank card in his car and was followed by a staff member, before revealing he did not have any money, or a car.
Elliott – who was jailed in 2019 for stabbing a man – was arrested and later charged with making off without payment.
The homeless 26-year-old admitted the offence when he was hauled before magistrates in Folkestone on July 4.
While in the dock, he gave a care-of address to the court as the Job Centre in Canterbury.
Dylan Bradshaw, prosecuting, told magistrates the “odd” incident happened on July 2 and that Elliott was being recalled to prison because he had breached his licence.
Christopher Elliott walked into the Citi Terrace bar in Canterbury looking for a job, but ordered three pints of Peroni and drank them but had no cash to pay for them
He said: “This is an unusual one and happened at the Citi Terrace Bar where he ordered three pints, but had no means to pay.
“He told staff he would go to his car and get his bank card, and a staff member followed him.”
Elliott was arrested by a plain-clothes police officer and confessed he did not have a car and could not pay for the drinks at the Longmarket Court venue.
Mr Bradshaw said: “The beers came to £23.10. He drank them and then left. There was no violence, and he’s been recalled to prison as a result, as he was on an extended sentence.
“He went to the bar looking for work, so it’s an odd case.”
Christopher Elliott was hauled before magistrates in Folkestone
Elliott was given the extended sentence in 2019 after he admitted stabbing a man in the arm after a drink and drugs binge.
At the time, he had eight previous convictions for 13 offences, including wounding a woman by throwing a glass in her face in 2017. Canterbury Crown Court heard his violent outbursts are usually fuelled by intoxication, which he claims not to remember.
Elliott, who lived in Herne Bay at the time, was jailed for five years with a two-year extended licence. He had to serve at least 40 months in custody for wounding with intent and carrying a bladed article.
During his sentencing, it was said he had a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality after drinking alcohol.
When Elliott appeared in court on July 4, magistrates ordered him to pay the bar £23.10 in compensation within 28 days of his release.
They were also told his licence end date is December next year, but that he could be released before that date.
After he was taken back down to the cells, it was revealed that he would have to be released from custody by the cell staff at the court. This was because, despite probation officers initiating his recall, the parole board had at that point not yet acted upon it.
It is understood that, as soon as the parole board actioned the recall, Elliott would be picked up by police on a warrant and sent back to custody.