A night manager at a Marriott hotel in Yorkshire has walked free from a court after the judge ordered the jury to bring in a not guilty verdict in a theft case.  

Jacqueline Gardiner, 49, was appearing before Bradford Crown Court charged with stealing £400 from the safe of the Hollins Hall Hotel in Baildon.

The case collapsed when CCTV footage in the prosecution's possession - only revealed to the defence at the last minute - showed someone else taking the money from the safe.

The judge criticised the CPS and the prosecution for the way they had prepared the case.

After the case Gardiner, who had worked at the hotel for seven years and was sacked following the allegation, said: “All this distress over the past few months has been horrendous. I have cleared my name which is what I wanted to do and I just want it to be over.

“I loved working at Marriott and I don't know what brought all this on, I am just glad it is all over. I wouldn't want anybody to go through what I have been through,” she added.

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By Andrew Smith

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