This is the moment a diner tried to get out of paying for his £7.25 Valentine's Day buffet meal for one by releasing his pet rat into the restaurant. Christopher Baker, 28, ordered the meal from the Borneo Bistro in Sunderland and sat down to eat alone, before pulling the pet rodent from his pocket, releasing it onto the floor and demanding a refund. Embarrassed waiters apologised and handed over the £7.25 but when pest control examined the creature they found it had the appearance of a domestic pet, and had recently 'had a haircut'. This is the moment diner Christopher Baker, 28, (pictured left) tried to get out of paying for his £7.25 Valentine's Day buffet meal for one by releasing his pet rat into the restaurant . Baker (left) admitted fraud by false representation, and was ordered to pay the restaurant the £7.25 back in compensation, but angry owner Kevin Smith (right) says Baker has caused him 'nothing but grief' Baker ordered the meal from the Borneo Bistro in Sunderland (pictured) and sat down to eat alone, before pulling the pet rodent from his pocket, releasing it onto the floor and demanding a refund . The pet rat released into the restaurant. Pest controllers said it appeared to be tame, and had recently had its fur trimmed . Bistro owner Kevin Smith then checked the restaurant's CCTV and spotted Baker producing the rat and putting it on the floor. Baker, of Houghton, Sunderland later admitted fraud by false representation, and was ordered to pay the restaurant the £7.25 back in compensation, as well as a £60 victim surcharge. 'On February 14 - Valentine's Day - Mr Baker has attended the restaurant, ordered a buffet for one and a bottle of water,' Lee Poppett, prosecuting, told Sunderland Magistrates' Court. 'He picked his food up and found a seat at a table on his own at the back of the restaurant. 'At shortly before 4pm he suddenly jumps up and shouts 'It's a rat. I'm not eating here, I want my money back'. 'Mr Smith perhaps smelled a rat at this particular point and he retrieved the rat from the floor. CCTV footage from the restaurant shows the moment Baker (pictured left) pulls the rat from his pocket . The footage shows Baker get money out of his pocket - then appear to change his mind and get the rat out . Baker retrieved the rat from his pocket as a family sitting nearby moved away from their table . 'He waited until a family moved from the table next to him and retrieved what appeared to be a rat from his pocket and dropped it on the floor. He then jumped out of his seat. 'He then claimed that whilst he's been eating, the rat has bitten his finger. He asked for his money back. 'It was a black and white rat, very calm. It did not appear to be wild at all. Acorn Pest Control attended and they said it appeared to be a pet. 'Mr Smith viewed the CCTV and saw the defendant fiddling in his pocket.' Baker then puts the rat on the floor and leaps out of his chair to the astonishment of fellow diners . The court was told that Baker had claimed that as he ate, the rat bit him on the finger . Baker was seen jumping up and shouting: 'It's a rat. I'm not eating here, I want my money back' The footage shows Baker get money out of his pocket - then appear to change his mind and get the rat out instead. He then puts it on the floor and leaps out of his chair and backs away to the astonishment of fellow diners. They then see the rat and jump up themselves and most head towards the door of the bistro looking horrified. Within minutes every customer is on their feet while staff try and catch Baker's pet. Baker was later arrested and told police that he had bought the rat from a pet shop as a gift for his daughter, before placing it in his pocket and heading to the restaurant. Willie Johnstone, defending, said: 'We do deal with some unusual cases from time to time. 'Christopher, on that day, had been drinking heavily and unfortunately he decided to buy a rat for his daughter by way of a present. A fellow customer points out the rat to a member of restaurant staff inside the bistro . 'Unfortunately, he then decided to go for a meal. He sat down and ate his meal. When he had finished the meal, he took the rat out. He is very remorseful for his behaviour.' In a victim statement read out in court, Mr Smith said the potential damage to his business's reputation could have been 'catastrophic', and that Baker could have ruined the future of the restaurant that he had spent seven years building up. As well as being ordered to pay the victim surcharge and compensation, Baker was sentenced to a 12-month community order with supervision. He was also banned from going to the restaurant for a year. Chairman of the bench, Derek Moss, said: 'This is a very serious matter as what you have done here could in a split-second have ruined this man's business, which he has worked for years to build up a reputation for.' Speaking after the case, Mr Smith branded Baker 'scum', and said he deserved to be punished. The 47-year-old said: 'He is just the scum of the earth. He could have destroyed the reputation I have built up over seven years. 'I was devastated. I thought 'that's it my business is gone'. I didn't sleep that night. 'People like him deserve the death penalty.' 'As far as I'm concerned, he shouldn't be in our society. He is no use to anybody and he's caused nothing but grief. 'I find it unbelievable that someone could be willing to go to those lengths for a free meal.'
Christopher Baker, 28, ordered meal from Borneo Bistro in Sunderland . He sat down  and as nearby family moved away released rat from pocket . Baker shouted 'It's a rat. I'm not eating here' and demanded a refund . But pest control suspected  rat was a pet because it recently had a hair cut . Baker admitted fraud by false representation and told to pay back £7.25 . Owner Ken Smith says people like Baker 'deserve the death penalty'