Havant pub owner 'in disbelief' after thief smashes window and robs safe leaving black hole in business' finances

Adrian Sines, 74, was stunned after a thief smashed through a window of The Golden Lion on November 4. The takings and float money for the day were taken, leaving the owner with mounting costs to upgrade the security at the public house in Bedhampton Road, Havant, and to make up for lost revenue.

Mr Sines, from Paulsgrove, told The News: ‘I was in disbelief. It is the second time this has happened. They gained entry through the same area of the building. We screwed all the windows shut, so there isn’t one that opens on the ground floor, and they just smashed it to get in.

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‘I can’t believe it. There’s very little you can do about glass windows. You can only board them over but that is not always an option.

‘They spent nearly three hours jacking the safe off the walls with crowbars and stuff like that. It was bolted to the wall, but they just ripped it all out.’

Mr Sines, who has owned the pub for eight years, said the previous break-in happened five months ago, with the criminal being sentenced to 18 months in prison. He added he lost roughly £2,000 in the burglary, and faces over expenses on top.

‘I’m going to have to earn another £10,000 on top to get that money back,’ Mr Sines said. ‘I’m going to have to do that to keep the pub afloat.

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‘It’s costing me a fortune to install motion sensors. We’re just going to have to tighten our belts and get down to it.’ The owner added ‘top rate’ CCTV cameras are in every downstairs room, as well as the new sensors, and he is confident the criminal will be caught.

Hampshire Constabulary said a man entered the building through a smashed window at roughly 2.15am. They released an image of an individual connected to the burglary, but have no updates at this stage.

Police added: ‘The man stole about £2,000 in cash from the tills and a safe, which he wrapped in a tea towel before carrying it away from the scene. If you are this man, or recognise him, please call 101 quoting incident number 44220450112.’