Couple who did runner from restaurant admit to skipping £1,168 worth of bills

A could who admitted to carrying out a series of 'dine and dash' schemes in restaurants in South Wales said they left £1,168 worth of bills unpaid.

The Bella Ciao restaurant recently posted pictures of a family of eight who visited and racked up a £329 bill before leaving without paying.

The Italian restaurant shared pictures and footage of the family along with the message 'shame on you', which prompted a significant backlash from people after it went viral.

Steaks, drinks and dessert were among the orders which contributed to the significant bill, as the restaurant claimed they knew how the family had left without paying.

Bella Ciao said a woman twice tried to pay the bill with a savings account card which was declined, after which point she went outside to get her 'other card' and left her son behind.

The restaurant shared pictures of the family and accused them of dining and dashing. (Facebook/Bella Ciao Swansea)

The restaurant alleged that the son then claimed to have to step out and take a phone call, meaning the entire family was able to leave without paying.

Reporting the incident to the police, Bella Ciao said they'd been given a 'fake' contact number by the family and they'd been 'devastated' by it all.

The restaurant manager then said he'd had a number of calls from other places saying the same thing had happened to them, and also said they'd been suspicious of the family for ordering the most expensive things on the menu and 'sending plates back half empty'.

Soon afterwards South Wales Police gave people an update in the case as they announced that a 41-year-old man and 39-year-old woman from Port Talbot had been arrested.

Bernard and Ann McDonagh today appeared before Swansea Magistrates' Court where they admitted to five counts of fraud after walking away from paying a total of £1,168.10 in restaurant bills.

The couple admitted to leaving over £1,000 worth of restaurant bills unpaid, and of shoplifting from supermarkets. (Facebook/Bella Ciao Swansea)

The couple also admitted to shoplifting goods worth £1,017.60 from Tesco, Sainsbury's and Tommy Hilfiger.

Ann McDonagh also admitted to a count of obstructing a police officer. The couple will be sentenced later on this month at Swansea Crown Court.

The couple were bailed, and according to the Daily Mail, their defending solicitor Giles Hayes said: "They are equally culpable of the offences."

The Bella Ciao restaurant said after the incidents that their social media posts calling out the family for dining and dashing had resulted in their bookings actually tripling.

Over 12 million people saw the footage posted by the restaurant of the family.

Topics: UK News, Crime, Social Media, Food And Drink

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

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