A member of Regent’s Park kitchen staff had her
belongings stolen during a bizarre incident at dinner on Tuesday
evening. The man who made the theft then proceeded to walk
bare-chested through the dining hall in Regent’s. Tori Purrett, who works part time at the college, had her
mobile phone and money from her wallet stolen from the kitchen
staff room. Purrett said the theft “was quite
annoying”: “I lost £50 from my wallet and then he
stole my phone. I’d just put £10 credit on my phone as
well.” However, the incident was most notable for its surreal nature.
Regent’s kitchen staff are uncertain how the man entered the
firstfloor staff room. Although the back door of the kitchen was
open, a number of people would have seen the man walk in.
According to Purrett, the thief, who was about 5’6”,
searched the bags of various staff members, tipping out valuables
but apparently decided only to steal Purrett’s belongings.
He left her cards. The intruder then poked around in the kitchen, picking up some
cornflakes, before striding out into the Regent’s dining
hall wearing nothing but a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms.
“I can’t believe he had the nerve to do that,”
Purrett said. He was immediately pursued and stopped by the JCR President,
Mark Cooper, former JCR President, James Burton, and a member of
the kitchen staff. The trio were unaware at that stage that the
man had done anything more than wander into college. As a
precaution they asked the intruder to show them the contents of
his Boswell’s bag. It was only after he had been allowed to
leave college premises, that Purrett realised that her belongings
had been stolen. The incident was reported to the police. Cooper maintained that “security at Regent’s is
taken very seriously.” He highlighted the fact that
“over the last twelve months, five extra security cameras
and an extra swipe-card gate have been installed”. He
continued, “Students will also be given personal attack
alarms by the beginning of next term”. However, it remains
to be seen whether such measures can prevent this type of naked
intrusion in the long-term.ARCHIVE: 6th week TT 2004
Bare-faced cheek of thief at Regent’s
