During a burglary at one hotel, the teenager and his 14-year-old brother, then 13, obtained the master key and gained access to a number of rooms, the prosecution said.

Pre-tax profits at the luxury Maybourne London hotel group that was the source of a long running and bitter dispute between Irish developer Paddy McKillen and reclusive billionaires, the Barclay brothers, last year surged 39% to £10.82m (€15m).