A provisional trial date has been set in the case of a man accused of burglary at a hotel bedroom and stealing keys to a Volkswagen Golf which was then taken from the car park outside.

Defendant Ashley Fairhurst is facing charges of burglary, plus theft of, and from a car, all alleged to have been committed at the Honest Lawyer Hotel, at Croxdale, near Durham, on Saturday May 18.

In the burglary, Fairhurst, and an alleged female accomplice, are said to have broken into a hotel room and taken car keys plus a wireless charger.

(Image: The Northern Echo)

He is then said to have jointly, also with the alleged female accomplice, stolen the VW Golf car, said to be worth £28,500, from the hotel car park, before taking designer clothing to the value of £1,500, from the vehicle.

(Image: The Northern Echo)

The 34-year-old defendant, of Rutherford Terrace, Ferryhill, who is remanded in custody at Durham Prison, was due to appear at a plea hearing at the city’s crown court.

But the court was told he had a medical appointment within the prison and was unable to attend the hearing over the court video link.

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Judge Peter Armstrong agreed to the setting of a provisional trial date in the case in case of future not guilty pleas.

A start date, for an estimated three-day hearing, was fixed for Wednesday November 13, a week ahead of the time limit for the defendant to be detained in custody, the custody time limit.

But a further pre-trial hearing will be fixed when proceedings reach the crown court for the alleged female accomplice, on a date yet to be fixed.