Roald Dahl's daughter charged with theft in US for not paying hotel bill

The daughter of iconic writer Roald Dahl has been arrested in the United Stated after claims she left a hotel without paying the bill. 

Tessa Dahl, 60, stayed at the £140-a-night hotel late last year and allegedly failed to pay her bill of almost £4,000 prompting hotel owner to call the police.

She has not yet entered a plea but could face between one to five years in prison for the offence. She is now expected to face court in Connecticut charged with larceny.

It was reported that the daughter of renowned author Dahl had been staying at the Interlaken Inn last year, and had left the venue in November without paying the £3,970 bill.

She was arrested by Connecticut State Police on November 13 last year and was released from custody.

Tessa, whose legal name is Chantal, was born to her author father Roald Dahl and Oscar-winning actress mother Patricia Neal. She is the mother of supermodel Sophie Dahl and was once named one of the five most beautiful women in the world.

Her father Roald described her as “by far the most complicated of my children”, but added “she’s the most interesting”.

Mark Sherman, Dahl’s US lawyer, said that the case arose from a misunderstanding. “The hotel has been paid in full and we expect a quick resolution in court,” he said.

Ms. Dahl has previously spoken about her struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder after suffering the loss of her sister Olivia to measles at the age of seven and witnessing her brother Theo being hit by a New York taxi in his pram.

She suffered mental health problems following the death of her father in 1990 and wrote about attempting to kill herself in her memoir published in 2012.

She also said she had left behind earlier struggles with drugs after moving to Massachusetts and adopting several rescue dogs and cats. Tessa Dahl has dated a number of famous names including Peter Sellers and actor David Hemmings.

Roald Dahl was known for his works for children including James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches, Fantastic Mr Fox, The BFG, The Twits and George’s Marvellous Medicine.

He has been referred to as one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century. Dahl’s books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.

This article originally appeared on The Telegraph.