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A couple of serial dine and dashers caught on CCTV have been sent to prison.
Bernard and Ann McDonagh went to five restaurants in the Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot and Porthcawl areas of Wales and ran up total bills worth more than £1,000 before leaving without paying.
The couple were caught after frustrated restaurant owners shared clips of them on CCTV – and they’ve now been sent to prison.
The couple, from Sandfields in Port Talbot, pleaded guilty to five counts of obtaining services dishonestly at Swansea magistrates court earlier this month.
Returning to the same court today, Ann was sentenced to 12 months in prison, and Bernard to eight months.
Judge Paul Thomas KC said apart from ‘greed’ being a motivation for the offending he believes the couple had derived a ‘buzz’ from what they were doing.
Bernard McDonagh helped rack up the massive food bills (Picture: South Wales Police)
Ann repeatedly claimed she was leaving to get cash and never returning (Picture: South Wales Police)
The couple hid their faces as they arrived in court (Picture: Wales News Service)
Ann McDonagh was caught on CCTV
He believed Ann McDonagh was the leading figure in the restaurant frauds, and he branded her a ‘fluent and practised liar’.
In the most recent case, the family walked out on a £329 bill at Bella Ciao in Swansea city centre after claiming Ann’s card had declined.
Ann told staff she would get cash from their vehicle and a child would wait at the restaurant – but five minutes later the youngster received a phone call feigning an emergency and ran off.
The McDonaghs would order T-bone steaks and other expensive meals for every member of the family, including children, and much of the food would go uneaten, WalesOnline reports.
A timeline of the McDonagh’s dine and dashing
August 9, 2023
The McDonaghs attended the River House in Swansea’s SA1 with a group of others and racked up a bill of £267.60.
Ann’s card payment failed and asked staff where the nearest ATM was, but didn’t return.
A member of the group who stayed in the restaurant then ran off.
January 31, 2024
A Chinese Takeaway was ordered from the Golden Fortune in Taibach, Port Talbot, and delivered to the McDonagh family home.
After the food was handed over the front door was shut and no payment was made. They refused to answer the door and phone calls from the takeaway.
The cost of the order came to £99.40.
February 23, 2024
The McDonaghs ordered three course meals for themselves and four others at La Casona in Skewen, running up a bill of £276.60.
Once again, Ann’s card payment failed and they left under the guise of getting another card from the car. One younger member of the party who stayed behind ran off after a few minutes.
March 27, 2024
The McDonaghs and three others went to Isabella’s in Porthcawl and racked up a bill of £196.50.
They then left without paying after again pretending that Ann’s card had failed and they were going to get cash.
April 19, 2024
The last incident happened at Bella Ciao just three weeks after the restaurant opened.
They left without paying their bill of £329.10.
TOTAL COST OF UNPAID BILLS: £1,169.20
A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said: ‘The thefts committed by the McDonaghs have had a devastating impact on local family run restaurants.
‘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.’
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The couple were ordered to pay compensation amounting to the total of their unpaid restaurant bills within 7 days.
David Chapman, executive director for UK Hospitality in Wales, described dine and dashing as a ‘constant problem’ the hospitality sector faces.
Ann McDonagh also admitted four counts of shoplifting, including at designer store Tommy Hilfiger, taking items worth £1,017.60.
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