Father-of-three Bernard McDonagh, 41, and wife Ann, 39, both of Sandfields, Port Talbot, confessed to racking up £1,168 worth of unpaid restaurant bills, as well as shoplifting £1,017 in goods from Tommy Hilfiger, Sainsbury’s and Tesco between August 2023 and April 2024.
The pairs dining crimes which left businesses such as the Bella Ciao Italian restaurant in Castle Street, Swansea hundreds of pounds out of pocket were exposed after after CCTV footage from the restaurant showed Mrs McDonagh attempting to pay the bill with a savings account card, which was declined twice.
She told staff her son would wait inside while she went to get her ‘other card’, but she did not return and moments later the boy had also vanished from the premises.
Appearing before Swansea Magistrates Court, the couple who had pleaded guilty to five joint counts of fraud were sentenced to 12 and eight months imprisonment respectively.
They will serve half their sentences, and will pay a total of £2185.70 in compensation, £1,168 for their unpaid restaurant bills and £1,017 for items stolen from shops.
Jailing the couple, Judge Paul Thomas KC said: “You cynically and brazenly left without paying, ordering expensive steaks for your children even though they didn’t eat them.
“You had a well-drilled and tested method for not paying for these meals.
“You exploited your own children, coaching them in advance. Involving your children in that way, exploiting them like this, put them at risk.
“You were not going to these places to feed your family, it was criminality for criminality sake, you got a buzz out of it.”
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”.
David Chapman, executive director for UK Hospitality in Wales, said so-called “dining and dashing” is a “constant problem” the hospitality sector faces.
“There are an awful lot of honest people out there that enjoy using our hospitality premises, but it does happen. UK Hospitality estimates that every year this type of behaviour costs businesses as much as £10million in Wales.
“It’s heartbreaking when people put so much effort and so much of their life into creating the dishes people enjoy.
“It’s not just stealing food, it’s stealing business sustainability. It’s stealing staff benefits. It’s stealing the enjoyment of others.
“Because these businesses have to survive, have to grow, have to invest. You may think it’s a small amount of money but even with one dine and dash it can impact on profit margins for a business and cause problems that will impact on other parts of the business.”
(Lead image: South Wales Police)
