‘Dine and dash’ pair who left restaurants without paying bills worth £1,000 are jailed
A couple who left a number of restaurants in the South Wales area without paying bills totalling more than £1,000 have been jailed.
Ann McDonagh, 39, and Bernard McDonagh, 41, previously pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud.
Ann McDonagh also admitted four counts of theft and one count of obstructing or resisting a constable in the execution of duty.
The pair, from the Sandfields area of Port Talbot, were sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Wednesday.
She was handed a 12-month prison sentence, while he was jailed for eight months.
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.
A previous court hearing heard the unpaid bills totalled £1,168.10 across five restaurants.
Ann McDonagh
‘Most expensive items on the menu’
Judge Paul Thomas KC said the defendants had “set out on a deliberate course of sustained dishonesty”.
“You would cynically and brazenly leave without paying,” he said.
“You would order the most expensive items on the menu such as steaks, even for your children who did not eat them, in the full knowledge that you had no intention of paying for them.”
He said the pair had a “well-drilled and tested method for avoiding paying” and had exploited their children.
“You’d obviously coached them in advance to run away when you’d left them behind as some form of security,” he said.
The judge described it as “criminality for criminality’s sake”.
“Apart from the greed element, you each got a buzz from what you were able to get away with.”
He said the kind of losses the restaurants faced were “not easily absorbed” in the current climate.
He concluded that Ms McDonagh was “the leading figure in this spate of offending” and was “a fluent and practiced liar”.
He referenced a claim she made to police that she was nine months pregnant, which led to her release from custody.
“You were, in fact, not pregnant at all,” he said.
Bernard McDonagh
‘Confused and upset’
Prosecuting, Alycia Carpanini outlined the method deployed by the defendants.
On one occasion, on 19 April, they attended Bella Ciao restaurant in Swansea.
Ann McDonagh’s payment method was declined and she left to get cash, leaving her son at the restaurant before he left a short while later.
“The boy received a call and said words to the effect of ‘Oh no, really? I’ll be there now,'” Ms Carpanini said.
Giovan Cangelosi, owner of Bella Ciao, said in a victim personal statement read out in court that he felt “stupid, robbed and was really beating himself up” over the incident.
The business’s Swansea branch had only been open a few weeks at the time and he said business had at that point been “slow and difficult”.
“Our restaurant has always been a laid back, relaxing place for people to attend and I want that to stay the same,” he added.
“We thought about spending more money on our security… but this comes at a great cost.”
Mr Cangelosi said he was “confused and upset as to why they do this”.
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‘Fallen on their swords’
In mitigation, Giles Hayes said that the defendants had “fallen on their swords”.
He said their house was “vandalised” in the period following the incident.
“[Bernard McDonagh] recognises his wrongdoing, he’s remorseful and he’s entered his guilty pleas at the first available opportunity to court,” Mr Hayes added.
Defending Ann McDonagh, Andrew Evans suggested she may have committed the offences “in an effort to improve her mood”.
But he argued that there was a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation in her case”.
The court heard Bernard McDonagh had 27 previous convictions for 40 offences, while Ann McDonagh had 18 previous convictions for 36 offences.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq over allegations she lived in properties linked to allies of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the deposed prime minister of Bangladesh.
It comes after the current Bangladeshi leader, Muhammad Yunus, said London properties used by Ms Siddiq should be investigated.
He told the Sunday Times the properties should be handed back to his government if they were acquired through “plain robbery”.
Tory leader Ms Badenoch said: “It’s time for Keir Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq.
“He appointed his personal friend as anti-corruption minister and she is accused herself of corruption.
“Now the government of Bangladesh is raising serious concerns about her links to the regime of Sheikh Hasina.”
Ms Siddiq insists she has “done nothing wrong”.
Her aunt was ousted from office in August following an uprising against her 20-year leadership and fled to India.
Ms Siddiq is also named with her aunt in Bangladesh court documents about meetings with the Russian government.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir to sack the minister
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As economic secretary to the Treasury, Ms Siddiq is responsible for policy on both the City and tackling corruption.
She referred herself to the prime minister’s ethics watchdog on Monday following the reports about the properties.
On the same day, the prime minister said: “Tulip Siddiq has acted entirely properly by referring herself to the independent adviser, as she’s now done, and that’s why we brought into being the new code.
“It’s to allow ministers to ask the adviser to establish the facts, and yes, I’ve got confidence in her, and that’s the process that will now be happening.”
Police in Aberdeen have widened the search area for two sisters who disappeared four days ago in the city.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV on Market Street after leaving their home on Tuesday at around 2.12am.
The sisters – who are part of a set of triplets and originally from Hungary – crossed the Victoria Bridge to the Torry area and turned right on to a footpath next to the River Dee.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti were last seen on CCTV in Market Street. Pic: Police Scotland/PA
They headed in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club but officers said there is no evidence to suggest the missing women left the immediate area.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and a marine unit have been trying to trace the pair.
The sisters crossed Victoria Bridge before walking along a footpath next to the River Dee
The pair were heading in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club on the south side of the River Dee
Further searches are being carried out towards the Port of Aberdeen’s South Harbour and Duthie Park.
Police Scotland said it is liaising with authorities in Hungary to support the relatives of the two sisters.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Eliza and Henrietta’s family are understandably extremely worried about them and we are working tirelessly to find them.
“We are seriously concerned about them and have significant resources dedicated to the inquiry.”
The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Officers have requested businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review their CCTV footage for the early morning of Tuesday 7 January.
Police added they are keen to hear from anyone with dashcam footage from that time.
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