'Dine and dash' pair left restaurants without paying bills worth £1,000

8 May 2024, 11:46 | Updated: 8 May 2024, 16:58

Two people have admitted leaving several restaurants without paying bills worth more than £1,000.

Ann McDonagh, 39, and Bernard McDonagh, 41, of the Sandfields area of Neath Port Talbot, both appeared at Swansea Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning.

They pleaded guilty to five counts of obtaining services dishonestly under the 2006 Fraud Act.

Newly-opened restaurant Bella Ciao in Swansea alleged in a Facebook post that a family left the premises without paying their £329 bill.

The post was shared thousands of times on social media.

Several other restaurants in the South Wales area also posted about similar experiences, including River House and La Casona.

The unpaid bills totalled £1,168.10 across five restaurants.

Ann McDonagh also admitted four counts of theft.

These related to the theft of £126.60 worth of items from Tesco Extra in Swansea, two incidents at Tommy Hilfiger in Bridgend's designer outlet totalling £491 and the theft of items worth £400 from Sainsbury's.

She also pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing or resisting a constable in the execution of duty.

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Both defendants will be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on 29 May.

They were granted unconditional bail and the Judge ordered pre-sentence reports.

(c) Sky News 2024: 'Dine and dash' pair left restaurants without paying bills worth £1,000