A career criminal who thieved £60,000 worth of luxury watches, jewellery and cash from the lockers of wealthy City gym-goers has been jailed. 

Paul Hughes, 59, was handed a two year sentence at Inner London Crown Court after admitting two counts of theft and one count of fraud earlier this year. 

Hughes, who has 79 previous convictions, made his living by looting jewellery and bank cards from the lockers of his affluent victims while they exercised at private gyms in London's square mile. 

His latest offences pertain to a watch stolen on November 3, 2025, along with a watch, wedding ring, wallet, bank cards and driving licence belonging to Gregory Curtis on February 10. 

Hughes, who lived in a £500,000 detached house in Coventry, also admitted fraud relating to cash withdrawal from ATMs using Mr Curtis's bank cards.

He had earlier admitted five further counts of theft, including a Rolex worth £8,000 belonging to Toby Gibbs in July 2024, and a £6,000 Omega Seamaster from another victim in October 2024.

The thief also swiped a Rolex GMT2 worth £15,000 on February 19, 2025, and six months later, an £8,000 Rolex Explorer on August 7. He then pocketed a Rolex Sea Dweller worth £12,000 from a customer at The Ned, a members club at Poultry in the City on November 3.

On March 10 this year, Hughes looted a gym locker, making off with a £2,000 Tag Aqua Racer Blackface, a £2,857 18ct platinum and white gold wedding ring, and a £200 Thomas Sabo silver chain.

The court heard that Hughes has been unemployed since 1987, when he last worked as a customer services rep. Omar Soliman, defending, said he currently receives £1,400-a-month in Universal Credit and PIP. 

Ms Recorder Jocelyn Ledward KC, sentencing, said: 'These offences were not just a single relapse, they were sustained over a significant period of time.

'The prospects of rehabilitation are muted given your attitude. There is no reason to suspend your sentence.

'The fact you chose to deal with whatever financial problems you had in this way gives me no cause to think you will not behave again in this way.'

The court heard Hughes's history of theft has spanned more than a decade.

In August 2015, Hughes and an accomplice thieved two watches worth more than £15,000 after forcing open lockers at a boutique health club in Ropemaker Street in the City of London.

He was recognised by staff at the club from CCTV after he revisited the scene of the crime a few days later. 

The manager then alerted the police, who attended the club and found Hughes with a bag of loan agreements for pawning high value watches, a screwdriver, two gym guest passes, and a driving licence.

He was jailed for 20 months at the Old Bailey in London in October 2015.  

In 2012, Hughes was jailed for four years after targeting gym users in Salisbury and Southampton and using their bank cards to empty his victims' bank accounts of more than £30,000 three years earlier.

He was caught after his DNA was found on a wig that he wore as part of a disguise.

Mr Soliman said Hughes was 'no stranger' to the criminal justice system, but pointed out 11 years has passed since his last offence. 

He said: 'The defendant is someone who can control his behaviour. There's no denying he has many previous convictions for similar dishonest behaviour. But it was 2015.'

Hughes, in an interview with a probation officer, claimed he relapsed back into theft because of a £12,000 debt accumulated by his ex-partner's son, who he claimed had been 'smashed up' and had his house 'firebombed'.

Mr Soliman said Hughes agreed to take on the debt as 'he knew he could earn it through criminality.'

He said: 'While of course it was the wrong decision, it was motivated by the desire to protect someone vulnerable from a real risk of harm.

'This is not to justify or legitimise his actions in any way, but it does provide some context.'

Mr Soliman added that the defendant hopes to turn his life around once he leaves custody.

He said: 'He would like to start up his own security business helping hospitality businesses prevent people like himself from committing crimes like this.'

Police Constable Emilie Cox, of the Volume Crime Unit at the City of London Police, said earlier: 'Hughes is a prolific offender who deliberately chose to target luxury facilities, accessing the changing rooms and stealing from people's lockers as they were exercising in the gym.

'The items he stole were of high value and some of the jewellery was also incredibly sentimental to the victims and unfortunately can never be replaced.

'People who visit gyms expect their belongings to be safe in their lockers and don't tend to expect anyone to be looking over their shoulder and stealing their PIN. Unfortunately, we know this is a method used by prolific criminals.'