Britain’s worst ‘dine & dashers’ admit skipping out on restaurant bills worth £1k after shameless antics caught on CCTV
A SERIAL “dine and dash” couple have admitted skipping out on restaurant bills worth £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 today pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud at Swansea Magistrates’ Court.
The feckless pair 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.
She has 18 convictions from 36 offences including fraud and theft, while her husband also has a history of theft.
The pair’s 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.
After the footage was viewed by more than 12million people, other restaurants came forward to reveal they also had been targeted.
The McDonaghs were bailed to be sentenced later this month at Swansea Crown Court.
Leaving a restaurant without paying is a crime and carries a prison sentence of up to two years.
