Britain’s worst dine & dashers jailed for skipping out on restaurant bills after shameless antics caught on CCTV
BRITAIN'S worst "dine and dashers" have been jailed after skipping out on restaurant bills worth more than £1,000.
Bernard McDonagh, 41, and his wife Ann McDonagh, 39, were caught on camera striking at a string of eateries across Wales.
The shameless couple, who have three children, rung up bills totalling £1,168.10 from five different restaurants.
They were today jailed for a total of 20 months after pleading guilty to five counts of fraud at Swansea Magistrates' Court.
The pair - from a "large traveller family" - also admitted four shoplifting offences after swiping £1,017.60 worth of goods from Tommy Hilfiger, Sainsbury and Tesco.
Ann McDonagh pleaded guilty to a further count of obstructing a police officer.
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She has 18 convictions from 36 offences including fraud and theft, while her husband also has a history of theft.
Sentencing, Judge Paul Thomas KC told Ann McDonagh she had the "leading role" in the scam and was a "fluent and practiced liar".
He also said the couple had both done "significant harm" to the traveller community with their behaviour, which could "fuel and reinforce some people's negative stereotypes".
He added: "If your community is, as I am told disgusted with your behaviour, they have every right to be."
Swansea Crown Court heard the couple would use a card they knew would be declined to "pay" then left one of their children in the restaurant as a sign they would return.
The pair then fled the scene along with their "decoy" children.
They used 43 different aliases and 18 different dates of birth to dupe eateries across a 30 mile radius in Wales.
Their dine and dash streak was finally rumbled when footage of them leaving Bella Ciao Italian restaurant without paying a £329 bill went viral.
They had joined six others at the premises to dine on pricey plates of T-bone steaks and fancy desserts before doing a runner.
The group, who also quaffed 15 bottles of champagne, had raised suspicions when they kept sending back half-eaten plates.
CCTV showed the mum attempting to pay with a savings account card, which was declined twice.
She then told staff her son would wait inside while she went to grab another card but the group vanished.
In a statement to the court, owner Giovan Cangelosi said: "When this happened I felt stupid and robbed and I was really beating myself up over it.
"I found myself doubting customers and worried it might happen again.
"My father and I even discussed changing the dynamic of the restaurant so people pay first before sitting down to have food, but I did not want to do this."
After the footage was viewed by more than 12million people, other restaurants came forward to reveal they also had been targeted.
These included a Chinese takeaway that was left £99 out of pocket after the couple ordered a huge meal to their home.
The pair also made off from the River House restaurant in Swansea without paying a £267 bill.
They also failed to pay a £196 bill at Isabella’s restaurant Porthcawl and a £267.60 bill at La Casona restaurant in Skewen.
Ann McDonagh told probation workers she specifically targeted the restaurants for luxury meals because "they were not something she could usually afford."
As well as their jail terms, the couple were ordered to pay £2,185 in compensation, £1,168 for their unpaid restaurant bills and £1,017 for items stolen from shops.
Crown Prosecution Service Cymru said: "The thefts committed by the McDonagh’s have had a devastating impact on local family run restaurants.
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"These businesses, already facing numerous challenges, have suffered financial losses and emotional strain due to the McDonaghs' actions.
"They have today been brought to justice."
