Married fraudsters who racked up huge restaurant bills and got away without paying during a shocking ‘lunch and ram’ spree have been jailed. Bernard McDonagh, 41, and Ann McDonagh, 39, were known to eat lavish three-course meals, including T-bone steaks, for their family, often leaving the food uneaten.
Swansea Crown Court heard the pair, operating under more than 40 aliases and using 18 different dates of birth, fraudulently bought food and drink from four restaurants and a takeaway point, racking up unpaid bills amounting to to £1,168.10.
The pair pleaded guilty to five joint fraud charges after images depicting their fraud surfaced online leading to their arrest. Ann McDonagh also pleaded guilty to four counts of shoplifting, including designer brand items from Tommy Hilfiger to a total value of £1,017.60.
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Judge Paul Thomas handed down a 12-month prison sentence for Ann McDonagh and an eight-month sentence for Bernard McDonagh. He reprimanded them, suggesting their actions may have been driven by “pure and utter greed”, reports the Manchester Evening News.
In his judgment he said: “From the autumn of last year until the spring of this year, you both embarked on a deliberate course of sustained dishonesty.”
Detailing their scam, he said: “You would go to restaurants with your family, be served hundreds of pounds worth of food and drink and then cynically and rudely leave without paying.
“You would order the most expensive items on the menu, like steaks, knowing you had no intention of paying for them.”
The judge further criticized the use of children in the scam, describing him as a “ruthless exploiter” and saying, “You’re not going to these places to feed yourself and your family, it was criminality for criminality’s sake to see if you could run away with him.”
He also expressed his belief that the thrill of the crime played a part: “I have no doubt, apart from the element of greed, you got a buzz out of what you could get away with on a regular basis.”
Highlighting the wider impact, the judge noted that such actions by members of the Traveler community “feed and reinforce” negative stereotypes.
Prosecutor Alycia Carpanini detailed an incident at River House in Swansea where Ann McDonagh and her family racked up a substantial bill. “They dined on location and ordered a large amount of food,” Ms. Carpanini explained.
Describing the deceptive tactic used to avoid payment, she said: “Ann McDonagh attempted payment. She asked where the nearest cash point was. Ann McDonagh left a child at the restaurant to await her return and paid.”
However, the plan culminated in fraud when “It was at this point that the child asked to go to the toilet and left the restaurant. The total bill was £267.60”.
Ms Carpanini also recounted a separate theft on September 6 when Ann McDonagh stole from a Tesco Extra store in Swansea, filling a trolley with goods worth £126.60 and trying to leave without paying. The family ordered a Chinese takeout costing £99.40 from Golden Fortune in Port Talbot to their home address on January 31.
Ms Carpanini said the meal was delivered before the family slammed the door in the delivery driver’s face and refused to pay for it. On February 3, Ann McDonagh stole six long-sleeved shirts and a pair of chinos worth £442 from the Tommy Hilfiger store in Bridgend Designer Outlet by hiding them in her blazer.
She returned on February 17 and was seen breaking the security tags on the items before trying to hide them, making a blue Ford Transit van into a moving vehicle with £49 worth of goods.
On February 23, the couple and four children went to La Casona restaurant in Skewen where they ordered three main course meals, worth £276.60, before leaving without paying.
Ann McDonagh shoplifted from Sainsburys in Bridgwater on February 25, taking £400 worth of clothing and other items. She was arrested on separate offences, which were not prosecuted, on March 13 and taken to Bridgwater custody for interview.
Ms Carpanini said: “The defendant told the custody sergeant that she was nine months pregnant. The medical officer on duty directed that she should be released. She was bailed before the interview. The Crown says the defendant was not pregnant at that time. chance and lie.”
She later pleaded guilty to obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty. On March 27, the couple visited Isabella’s in Porthcawl and racked up a £196 food and drink bill. Ann McDonagh’s card was declined three times when she tried to pay.
She assured staff that she would withdraw money from an ATM and leave a child in the restaurant as collateral. However, the child fled the scene after 10 minutes, while the family was spotted leaving in a white vehicle.
Fast forward to April 19, the couple, along with five others, dined at Bella Ciao in Swansea after making a reservation under the name Lucy Logan. Once again, Ann McDonagh’s card was declined when she tried to pay off her £329.10 bill.
She told staff she was going to get money from an ATM and left a teenager at the restaurant as collateral.
Ms Carpanini said: “After five minutes the boy got a call and said ‘oh no really, I’ll be there now’. The owner tried to stop the boy leaving but he ran away.
In a personal victim statement, Giovan Cangelosi, owner of Bella Ciao, expressed his fears for the safety of his restaurant after posting images and details of the scam online. He described the impact of the theft, saying: “I felt like I hadn’t protected my restaurant and I had failed as an owner.”
Giles Hayes, representing Bernard McDonagh, said his client had brought the money to court to repay it. He portrayed McDonagh, a father-of-six, as “deeply ashamed and embarrassed” by his actions.
Andrew Evans, who represented Ann McDonagh, suggested she may have committed the fraud “to try to make herself feel better” after some family trouble.
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