Duke of Marlborough imposter ran up unpaid bills of £10,000

A conman who posed as Lord Jamie Spencer-Churchill, the 12th Duke of Marlborough, has racked up unpaid bills of more than £10,000 at five luxury hotels, a court has heard.

Alexander Wood, 33, from Southend Essex, last month pleaded guilty to ten counts of fraud and two counts of making items for use in fraud between May 27 and July 13.

He also admitted to one count of making off without payment and one of failing to surrender to a court at an appointed time.

Wood claimed to have checked into the Great Northern hotel, next to London’s Kings Cross station, in May, because he was hiding from a ‘highly dangerous’ hitman.

In addition to the room cost of £1,878, he persuaded the hotel to lend him £100 a day and over the course of four nights, accumulated a bill of £2,278. Southwark Crown Court heard that staff had not requested identification as they “believed he was a VIP and didn’t think it was appropriate to ask”.

Wood was spotted treating people to expensive drinks in the bar, exceeding the £100 spending limit a day agreed by the hotel. When confronted about his identity Wood offered to come down to the lobby to settle his bill, but then left the hotel without paying. He was later arrested.

While on bail, the court heard that he continued to use more false names to con other hotels, including the May Fair, Grange Wellington in Victoria, Radisson Blu in Canary Wharf and Radisson Blu Edwardian on Cromwell road.

He was arrested on July 11 when he checked into the May Fair hotel in the early hours of the morning.

The case was adjourned for a second time after both legal teams failed to bring evidence to prove or disprove Woods’ claims. The judge, Mr Recorder David Jeremy QC, said the case was an “embarrassing waste of public money” adding that both legal teams were “woefully inadequate”.

Prosecutor Beverley Akinbile said: “The defendant has entered a number of hotels and he has impersonated on one occasion the Duke of Marlborough and on other occasions he has purported to be an employee of British Airways.

“He has been extended money at these hotels, in fact he ran up a number of bills at the hotels.”

Meanwhile Adil Syed, the defence, said his client was desperate to lead the “high life” and was “trying to live up to the status he didn’t have” following a previous jail term for fraud.

The judge said that Wood was a child prodigy and an international violin soloist who had set up a highly successful business, but a spat with an employee led to him being” under threat of his life” and led to the interaction with the police and the commission of these offences.

He was supported by a letter from Conservative MP for Southend West, David Amess, who requested a mental health assessment on his behalf.

Wood has been remanded in custody ahead of the next hearing on October 23. A pre-sentence report has been requested and he will either face sentence on that date or psychological tests will be ordered.