Hotel guest held maid hostage

Django Smith, 39, barricaded the terrified 17-year-old inside his room as she carried out her midday room-cleaning duties at the Beauport Park Hotel in Hastings.

Smith phoned reception, saying he was holding the girl against her will in his room.

Smith, who had arrived alone three days before, said he would hold her until the building was evacuated.

Staff at the £90-a-night hotel in Battle Road immediately alerted police.

An armed response unit and specialist hostage negotiator were drafted in as paramedics stood by outside.

Staff and guests waited at the foot of the driveway leading to the hotel's front entrance as delicate negotiations went on inside.

After almost three hours the tearful girl was freed unharmed before being reunited with her waiting family.

Smith gave himself up to police.

Smith, of no fixed address, admitted a charge of falsely imprisoning the girl when he appeared at Hove Crown Court yesterday.

He denied a charge of possessing an offensive weapon.

The court heard Smith had been examined by a doctor who concluded he was suffering from a mental illness and should be admitted to hospital under the Mental Health Act.

Hotel co-owner Stephen Bayes said: "It was a tense few hours. It began when our reception received a call from a guest saying he was holding a maid against her will.

"I talked to him and asked if there were any immediate demands I could comply with.

"He said he wanted the hotel to be evacuated and nobody to approach the room."

Onlooker university student Lucy White, 22, of St Helen's Road, Hastings, said: "The place was swarming with police. It was very dramatic.

"There must have been at least six police cars in the drive, with many more officers surrounding the front of the building."

The three-star hotel is regarded as one of the most elegant in Hastings and is highly recommended by the English Tourism Council.

Smith was remanded in custody until January 31 for pre-sentence reports and a second psychiatric report to be prepared.