Dine-and-dash thief is barred from West End for a year

A student who "dined and dashed" from London restaurants to impress his girlfriend spoke of his "serious regrets" today after being banned from the West End for a year.

Latvian Janis Nords, 27, racked up unpaid bills of more than £5,800 at venues including L'Autre Pied in Marylebone by ordering vintage champagne and foie gras before running off without paying.

In just two weeks he pulled off the trick nine times — including twice in one day.

The film student of Paddington, who is £15,000 in debt, was yesterday ordered to return to City of Westminster magistrates' court in three weeks to explain how he intends to pay back the money.

Nords was barred from six London postcodes, including the West End and from Marylebone to Kew, where his thefts took place, for the next 12 months, and ordered to wear an electronic tag for 90 days while under a curfew after pleading guilty to three charges of not paying for goods and services and asking for another six offences to be taken into consideration.

Speaking to the Standard, he said: "I deeply regret what I did, it was a big mistake. I feel serious regrets."

The court heard that when police caught up with Nords after he fled L'Oranger, in St James's, they recognised him from his photograph, which had appeared in the Standard.

District Judge Daphne Wickham said he would have to compensate the restaurants. "You have chosen to go in them and make a fool of them, and now they will make a fool of you," she said.