Visitor Jailed For Not Paying $8,000 Hotel Bill
65-year-old Canadian visitor Neil Crane had his stay in Bermuda extended after he was given a thirty day prison sentence following his conviction for failing to pay an $8,000 hotel bill owed to Clearview Suites.
That was the decision handed down in Magistrates Court this morning [Sept 16] after Mr Carne re-appeared for sentencing and had not made restitution to the hotel.
Questioned by the Senior Magistrate about payment, Mr Crane said that he had not yet had a conversation with his colleagues in Canada. He also admitted to the Magistrate that when he arrived, he did not have sufficient cash to pay.
However he also told the Magistrate that, “I can pay immediately. I’ll find the funds.”
The Magistrate reminded Mr Crane that he’d said the same thing last week, on his first appearance in Court.
The thirty day sentence is to run from 9th September.
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his sentence should be to remain in jail until the hotel bill is paid…I just hope he dont come out in 8 days and allowed to leave bermuda without paying his bill….and how could the hotel allow such a bill to run up so high. …
Surely you’re joking ? We as tax payers should pay to have this guy jailed ? C’mon man !
Absolutely he should be jailed! If not what would be the deterrent to others?
Apparently he had stayed at the hotel from July 25th to September 7th. The real crime here is that his bill was $8400 for a month and a half stay at that crappy hotel.
You should be disrespecting the old bum, obviously you have no Bermuda pride. You musta bent over for the old man and took all his money.
Lets hope the boys at the Westgate Spa make him feel welcome.
Send him packing and make to Canadian Govt pay for his extended holiday rather than speding my tax dollar.
No thank you! Canadian taxes are high enough for me as a student.
Besides sales tax when buying stuff and maybe having to pay road tax if you have a car, when do students pay tax?? In the UK students are exempt from certain taxes, like council tax.
What is the end-game for the hotel? After serving his month (can he get parole early for good behaviour) he can then just skip the Island on the next plane; never to return.
How does the hotel get their money from this man? Money that would, in part, go to the salaries of the people who provided him service during this stay. He is directly robbing the hotel and indirectly the wait staff, housekeeping staff, receptionist, chefs, and on and on. All he gets is a measly month for robbing so many people?
Ride
Same way landlords & businesses who are owed money for services by locals. They have to be taken to court where even if found guilty, they get away with paying pennies on the dollar for what they owe.
I don’t believe a word he says. Probably done it at other places as well only this time he got caught! Take that gramps!!
So the solution to getting the money back for a grossly overrated and overpriced hotel is to spend Bermudian tax payer money to put this guy through the courts and keep him in jail and to further tarnish Bermuda to Canadian visitors? Yeah, this guy was an idiot but just cut the losses and let him go before we continue losing money in other ways.
@Jay Maloy
I say that any potential visitor that sees the lawful and fair treatment that this man has received for committing an act that is unquestionably considered criminal (in all societies that come to mind) a blemish upon Bermuda as a vacation destination, is not the type of visitor Bermuda would like to see.
How would you suggest that a deterrent be communicated to schemers who conduct themselves in this matter that Bermuda is not a place for it? You suggest just cutting him lose? To what end? This guy is a filthy criminal. Sneaking out to the bus stop to hurry away to skip on such a substantial bill. He enjoyed $8000+ of amenities and services and you say we should just let it slide because someone may be offended that criminal has been imprisoned.
Tell us: What sort of person would take offence? Other criminals are the only sort that currently come to mind. Who wants them to come and leave without paying their bills?
Tell us: Should not the people that provided him service and maintained the facilities he enjoyed be compensated? How would they be compensated if it became known that Bermuda is the destination to live high on the horse and then slither out without paying? Where, even if you are caught, you’ll just be cut lose so you and your ilk harbour no negative view of the island so that you will return again. You can’t be serious.
True, however, that it is terribly expensive to keep him imprisoned here.
Ride
That would set a dangerous precedent. Plus it’s just stupid to suggest that someone could defraud an establishment to the tune of $8000 with impunity!
Are you for real @ Jay Malloy?
To begin with, if the hotel was over ratted and over priced , then he should check out! My suspicion is that he picked this hotel , knowing that it was a small property, with fewer staff that would notice him gone and close to the airport. He is not the victim here. The property owners and staff are!
Furthermore, I spent many years in Canada and have family living there. I don’t know a single Canadian that would think that this man got a raw deal. Is it any surprise to ANYONE that when you stay at a hotel, or eat at a restaurant you are expected to pay when you leave!
In fact, all Canadians that I know would be embarrassed that a fellow Canadian has tarnished their countries image.
Perhaps there are some of you that are sympathetic because of his age, but we should not be. Age does not make you an honest person. It might make it harder for a dishonest person to get away with “certain” crimes, but there is no magic honesty 65 candle you can buy! Each day prisons release senior citizens into society that were incarcerated 20+ years prior for rape, murder, fraud etc…
Put him in the stocks for 8 days! My throwing arm could use a workout!
HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU SPEND 8,000 AT CLEARVIEW ..
LOL
SOMEBODY CALL AUGUSTUS I JUST DIED 3 TIMES
So now the tax payer gets to pay for his extended vacation and the hotel is still out $8000. The man should be made to work it off. Cut grass, paint something, there are a lot of ways to punish and at the same time get compensation for the public and the victim.
Clearview is a very nice place to stay….the owners are very honest Bermudians and have helped many people …Bermudians and Foreigners as well over a long period of years…the negative comments about clearview are unwarranted and unnecessary…..the people making those comments sound like they are the same type as the rat that tried to rip Clearview off…!My suggestion to the Courts is that he should be kept in prison until someone bails him out to the tune of $8000.00 plus the 17% gratuities- deport the scum and make him pay all costs of keeping him on bread and water during his entire stay at Casemates……and any other charges that he incurs while here.This is the kind of rat that we do not need.!
Yes Clearview is a nice place, Bermudian owned, local Chef (fish chowder is the best) and just newly renovated.
Is this counting towards visitor arrivals?
Just gotta put my [uninformed] 2 cents in – perhaps he didnt realise how expensive bermuda is… maybe he thought bermuda was like the caribbean counterparts, for which he could have afforded… how can we change the common perception bermuda????
@notwithstanding
Give it a rest. You mean to tell me that you believe he had no clue of the room rates when he made his reservation? If you believe that then I have some waterfront property at Argus I’d love to sell you.
The room rates are publicly available. Come on! The first thing you do when planning a vacation is look at room rates and flights. Come with a better excuse than this. This thief is were he belongs and probably will skip the island when he is released. Someone needs to stakeout the airport and make a citizen’s arrest should he attempt to flee without paying on his release. It is reasonable to presume that once he gets to Canada, Oceanview can kiss that $8000+ goodbye.
Ride
His statement to the judge shows him a liar.
“I can pay immediately. I’ll find the funds.”
If you have to find the funds it means that you don’t have them. If you don’t have them then how can you pay immediately?
Thought you had to have permission to stay beyond 3 weeks? Perhaps hotels should now invoice their long term guests weekly or upfront (like you do with expedia or hotels. com) instead of at the end where it shoul only be incidentals.?
Meanwhile, that scum bag of a tourist, Crane, should be out at least picking up litter or cleaning public toilets until the funds are wired in!
At this very moment this canadians pretty useless….lets put him to service…make him useful…perhaps effect change in his attitudinal fortitude….straighten his attitude a bit.