A “dine and dash” couple who made a habit of leaving restaurants without settling up, have confessed to a string of offences.
Bernard and Ann McDonagh’s scams cost South Wales eateries and other businesses more than £2,000, it was revealed in court. The husband-wife duo entered guilty pleas to five fraud counts at Swansea Magistrates’ Court today (Wednesday).
The judge learned how they ordered meals for their clan at various southern Wales restaurants on different occasions but briskly left without settling their tabs. The greedy pair chowed down on T-bone steaks and swigged booze at Bella Ciao restaurant in Castle Street in Swansea on April 19 this year, racking up a £329.10 bill with “no intention of paying for it”.
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They also left a £196 tab at Isabella’s restaurant in Well Street, Porthcawl, unpaid on March 27 while ducking out on a £267 bill at River House restaurant in Kings Road, Swansea, on August 9, 2023. Their unpaid bills included a £99.40 at Golden Fortune, Port Talbot, on January 31, 2024, and £267.60 at La Casona in Skewen on February 24, 2024, reports Wales Online.
Ann McDonagh, aged 39, also fessed up to a trio of thefts by shoplifting, nicking clothes from Tommy Hilfiger at Bridgend Designer Outlet worth £442 on February 3, 2024, and another haul valued at £49 on February 17, 2024. She also admitted to swiping household goods from Tesco Extra in Swansea totalling £426.60 on September 6, 2023, and pinching items from Sainsbury’s at Bridgend Designer Outlet to the tune of £400 on February 25, 2024.
(Image: John Myers)
On top of that, Ann owned up to giving a copper the runaround at Queen’s Road Police Station in Bridgend back in February 2024 The duo’s dodgy dealings were busted after they did a runner from Bella Ciao. After sharing CCTV footage on Facebook, the manager Tyrone Reese said: “They were ordering the most expensive things on the menu like T-bone steaks and the like.”
After the post went viral, it emerged that other eateries had been stung by the same scam. La Casona in Skewen got hit with a near £300 dine-and-dash.
A restaurant spokesman said: “After the meal four people have already left our restaurant. One lady stayed with a young boy to ‘pay’. The woman tried to pay with a card which was declined. She said she would get another card from the car. We asked the boy to stay and wait for her in the restaurant. She left and 10 seconds after the boy started to run to the car.”
The pair will be sentenced on May 29, and have been granted unconditional bail until then.
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