A CATERING expert who is feeding police officers at the Kendal Calling music festival has admitted fleeing from two Carlisle guest houses without paying.

Meredith Robert Gibbons - who has eight previous fraud offences on his criminal record - first spent two weeks as a guest at the Fern Lea Guest House in St Aidan's Road and then another two weeks at Arkale Lodge in London Road, Carlisle's Rickergate court5 heard.

But after both stays he left without settling the bill.

The 31-year-old admitted two offences of making off without paying for services, and one theft - stealing keys from one of the guest houses.

Peter Kelly, prosecuting, outlined how the defendant committed the first offence after he spent a fortnight at the Fern Lea Guest House between January 17 and January 31 last year.

He left without paying the £240 bill.

Gibbons moved into Arkale Lodge just a few weeks later, staying there from February 15 to February 28.

He should have paid the guest house owner £420 for his stay but again moved on without settling the bill, said Mr Kelly.

"Ultimately, the defendant made admissions to his dishonesty on both occasions," said Mr Kelly.

"But initially he said that at one of the premises he had left money in an envelope but he subsequently changed his account, saying he had not done that and that he was expecting to be invoiced. He did then make admissions but he did not accept taking the keys, saying it was his word against theirs."

Both guest-house owners had taken the defendant on face value, said Mr Kelly.

But Gibbons had simply left the premises without them being aware that he was about to do so. "They came back and he was gone," said the prosecutor. Mr Kelly then outlined how the defendant's criminal record includes eight previous fraud offences, including a conviction for making false representations in 2010.

He had been out of trouble since 2016, but he had been put before the court after being arrested on a warrant.

Addressing the court from behind the glass-fronted dock, Gibbons, of Durham Road, Consett, County Durham, said: "I've changed a lot and I'll take whatever punishment you give me.

"I'm in outsourced catering, and I'm actually feeding the police at Kendal Calling. I travel a lot, doing wedding events around the country. I'm going to Belgium in two weeks. I'm at Kendal Calling, feeding the police at the minute." The defendant said he earns around £2,000 a month.

Magistrates