Most brazen dine and sprint culprits from steak scoffing couple to boozy brutes
In a world where big brother is always watching, it’s amazing what people still try to get away with.
Lately restaurants up and down the country have been targeted by greedy thieves filling their faces with expensive grub and then doing a runner without settling their tabs. But not many were banking on having their mugs plastered all over social media by vigilante restaurant owners seeking justice.
That’s how the net quickly closed in on serial offenders Bernard and Ann McDonagh, who left restaurants and other businesses out of pocket to the tune of more than £2,000 before their luck ran out.
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Elsewhere, business owners are taking matters into their own hands with one pub even locking would-be thieves in…
Dodgy duo
Husband-wife duo Bernard and Ann McDonagh’s scams cost South Wales eateries and other businesses more than £2,000.
The greedy pair chowed down on T-bone steaks and swigged booze with their family-of-eight at Bella Ciao restaurant in Castle Street in Swansea before concocting an elaborate ruse with a declined bank card when they came to pay their £330 bill.
They also left a £196 tab unpaid at Isabella’s restaurant in Well Street, Porthcawl and swerved forking out £267 at River House restaurant in Swansea. They also scoffed their way through almost £100 worth of food at Golden Fortune in Port Talbot and £267 at Las Casona in Skewen.
Ann McDonagh, 39, also fessed up to a trio of thefts by shoplifting, nicking clothes from Tommy Hilfiger at Bridgend Designer Outlet worth £442 and another haul valued at £49. She also admitted to swiping household goods from Tesco Extra in Swansea totalling £426.60 and pinching items from Sainsbury’s to the tune of £400.
The pair pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud and were sentenced earlier this week. Ann was handed a 12-month jail term with Bernard given eight months behind bars. They were also ordered to pay compensation.
The duo’s dodgy dealings were busted after they did a runner from the newly opened Bella Ciao who uploaded CCTV images on Facebook.
Ann’s trick involved pretending to pay with a card that declines before claiming she’s going to the car to get another one but never returns.
Carvery culprits
(Image: Facebook/Wheelbarrow Castle Country Pub & Eating House)
A rowdy group of six women allegedly stuck their fingers up at staff as they left a quaint countryside pub without paying after stuffing their faces with booze and food.
The gaggle of shallow-pocketed females trailed young children with them and allegedly fled rather incongruously after enjoying a carvery at the Wheelbarrow Castle in Worcestershire earlier this year.
Owner, Sarah Hutchins said the gang “did not give a monkeys” after dipping out of paying their £140 bill.
In one image, one of the group doesn’t give a monkeys about personal hygeine either – as she’s seen with a finger stuffed up her nose.
Boozy brutes
(Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)
A “dine and dash” group necked double vodkas before running off without paying their bill.
A group of nine people, reportedly made up of two families, allegedly scoffed food and drink worth £280 at Ciao Eatalia in Highworth, Wiltshire last month. The group is said to have argued that the bill was too high and allegedly threatened manager Gianluca La Porta and head chef Fabio Giacalone.
Then, after refusing to pay, they apparently left the restaurant laughing. The business partners refer to such practice as “biking” and claimed this is the fifth time they have fallen victim to it recently.
Lock in
(Image: SWNS)
A couple accused of dine and dashing at several restaurants were kept inside a pub by furious regulars who stopped them leaving without paying a £62 bill.
As well as restaurants across the Southend area, taxi drivers have also accused them of running off without paying their fare.
Landlord Ken Todd, 76, revealed how pubgoers stopped them leaving The Castle Inn in Little Wakering on April 21. Police arrived and took their details but they were ultimately allowed to leave as he didn’t deem it worth pursuing over £62.20.
Mr Todd said: “Other customers helped my staff to stop them from leaving – the man was being very loud and it became a heated situation. We kept them talking for a good hour and some people accused them of being serial offenders.”
Mr Todd said the pair had a prawn cocktail, breaded mushrooms and two roast chicken dinners with extra lamb. They drank two cokes, an orange juice and a medium glass of wine.
Mini Cheddars man
(Image: The Angel Hotel / SWNS)
A suspected conman is under investigation after he racked up an eye-watering hotel bill.
The “businessman-like” bloke spent £452 over three nights at the Angel Hotel in Halesworth, Suffolk, where he enjoyed three meals before slipping away. He also downed some 15 pints of Birra Moretti, eight pints of Guinness, seven rum and cokes and three pints of Aspall alongside five bags of Mini Cheddars and other sides.
He secured a room a the 500-year-old establishment using a debit card and even bought chocolates for staff to thank them for their work. However on his final day, he left the premises and sent the family-run in an email saying he would come back later to settle up but never did.
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