Australian felon caught stealing at Manila Hotel

A convicted Australian who has gained notoriety for a series of theft cases in Metro Manila's posh hotels was arrested anew by the police after he was caught hiding in the closet of an exclusive suite of the Manila Hotel over the weekend.

Robert John Walker, 40, who was recognized as the same man caught by the hotel security camera last Dec. 1 carting away a bag containing P100,000 worth of camera and accessories owned by a hotel tenant, was believed to be planning another heist when caught Saturday.

Walker, 40, of Queensland, Australia was discovered by an American hotel guest, who was then being toured inside the MacArthur suite with several large empty bags in tow.

"He could be planning to steal items from the hotel room but unfortunately for him somebody came and saw him hiding inside," said Senior Police Officer 4 Nicolas Aspeli of the Western Police District (WPD) Theft and Robbery Unit.

A charge of theft and attempted theft was filed against the Australian for the Dec. 4 and last Saturday's incident, respectively.

The bail bond of Walker was then canceled. He is now at the WPD detention center awaiting his transfer to the National Bilibid Prisons to serve his eight year sentence for another case of theft in 1997.

During his last arrest in 1997 by police for the theft of a fax machine at the Quezon City Medical Center, Walker, who uses two aliases -- Neil Cardiner and Gregory William Olsen, was discovered to have stolen items at the Grand Boulevard Hotel, Traders' Hotel, Philippine Plaza and Hyatt Regency Hotel in Pasay, and the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati.