BRITAIN’S worst “eaters and bums” have been jailed after missing more than £1,000 worth of restaurant bills.
Bernard McDonagh, 41, and his wife Ann McDonagh, 39, were caught on camera hitting up a string of restaurants across Wales.
The shameless couple, who have three children, racked up bills totaling £1,168.10 from five different restaurants.
They were jailed for a total of 20 months today after pleading guilty to five counts of fraud at Swansea Magistrates’ Court.
The pair also admitted four counts of shoplifting after picking up £1,017.60 worth of goods from Tommy Hilfiger, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
Ann McDonagh pleaded guilty to another charge of obstructing a police officer.
She has 18 convictions for 36 offences, including fraud and theft, while her husband also has a history of theft.
Sentencing, Judge Paul Thomas KC told Ann McDonagh she had a “leading role” in the fraud and was a “fluent and skilled liar”.
He also said the two had caused “significant harm” to the traveling community through their behaviour, which could “incite and reinforce negative stereotypes in some people”.
He added: “If your community, I’m told, is disgusted by your behaviour, they have every right to be.”
Swansea Crown Court heard the couple would use a card they knew would be declined to “pay” and then leave one of their children in the restaurant as a sign they would return.
The pair then fled the scene along with their “bait” children.
They used 43 different aliases and 18 different dates of birth to scam restaurants within a 30-mile radius in Wales.
Their bad luck with dinners and dashes was finally shaken when footage of them leaving Italian restaurant Bella Ciao without paying their £329 bill went viral.
They joined six others on campus to dine on expensive plates of T-bone steaks and fancy desserts before becoming runners.
The group, who also popped 15 bottles of champagne, raised suspicions as they kept sending out half-eaten plates.
CCTV showed the mum trying to pay with a savings account card which was declined twice.
She then told the staff that her son would wait inside while she went to get another card, but the group disappeared.
In a statement to the court, owner Giovan Cangelosi said: “When it happened I felt stupid and robbed and really beat myself up about it.
“I found myself second-guessing the customers and I’m worried it might happen again.
“My father and I even discussed changing the dynamic of the restaurant so that people pay first before they sit down to eat, but I didn’t want to do that.”
After more than 12 million people viewed the footage, other restaurants came forward to reveal they had also been targeted.
These included a Chinese takeaway that left £99 out of pocket after the couple ordered a large meal home.
The pair also left the River House restaurant in Swansea without paying their £267 bill.
They also failed to pay a £196 bill at Isabella’s Porthcawl restaurant and a £267.60 bill at La Casona restaurant in Skewen.
Ann McDonagh told probation officers she specifically targeted restaurants for fine dining because “it wasn’t something she could usually afford”.
In addition to the prison terms, the couple were ordered to pay £2,185 in compensation, £1,168 for unpaid restaurant bills and £1,017 for items stolen from shops.
Crown Prosecution Service Cymru said: “Thefts committed by McDonagh’s have had a devastating impact on local family restaurants.
“These businesses, already facing many challenges, have suffered financial loss and emotional strain due to the actions of the McDonaghs.
“They were brought to justice today.