THIS is the moment Britain’s worst diners were arrested after skimming restaurant bills worth more than £1,000.
Bernard McDonagh (41) and his wife Ann McDonagh (39) were caught on camera attacking a series of restaurants across Wales.
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Footage shows Ann McDonagh as she is arrestedCredit: PA
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She and her partner Bernard skipped five different meals Credit: WNS
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Bodycam showed him being taken away during the arrestCredit: PA
The shameless couple racked up bills totaling £1,168.10 at five different restaurants using their children as “decoys”.
They were jailed for a total of 20 months yesterday after pleading guilty to five counts of fraud at Swansea Crown Court.
Footage released by police shows the moment the couple were arrested at their home in Port Talbot.
Ann McDonagh – described as the ringleader of the scheme – repeatedly nods and says “okay” as her rights are read to her.
Bernardo, the father of six children, is then taken out of the house in handcuffs, followed by his wife.
As well as admitting their role in the fraud, the pair also pleaded guilty to four counts of shoplifting after stealing goods worth £1,017.60 from Tommy Hilfiger, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
Ann McDonagh pleaded guilty to a further count 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 played a “major role” in the fraud and was a “fluent and practiced liar”.
He also said the couple had caused “significant harm” to the traveling community by their behaviour, which could “encourage and reinforce negative stereotypes in some people”.
He added: “If your community is, as I’m told, appalled by your behaviour, they have every right to be.”
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The mum was filmed trying to use the savings card, which was repeatedly declined. Credits: WNS
Swansea Crown Court heard the couple would use a card they knew would be declined for “pay” and then leave one of their children at the restaurant as a sign they would be back.
The couple 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 streak of meals and outings finally came to an end when footage of them leaving Italian restaurant Bella Ciao without paying their £329 bill went viral.
They joined six others at the bar to dine on expensive plates of T-bone steaks and fancy desserts before heading out for a run.
The group, who also drank 15 bottles of champagne, raised suspicions when they kept sending back half-eaten plates.
CCTV showed the mother trying to pay with a savings account card, which was declined twice.
She then told staff 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 I really struggled about it.
“I doubt the customers and worry that it could happen again.
“My father and I even talked about changing the dynamic of the restaurant so that people pay first before they sit down and eat, but I didn’t want to do that.”
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Ann McDonagh jailed for shocking fraudCredit: PA
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Bernard, a father of six, was sentenced to eight months in prisonCredit: PA
After more than 12 million people watched the video, other restaurants came forward to reveal that they too had been targeted.
Among them was a Chinese takeaway that ran out of £99 after a couple ordered a huge meal home.
The pair also fled the River House restaurant in Swansea without paying a £267 bill.
And they failed to pay a £196 bill at Isabella’s Porthcawl restaurant, as well as a £267.60 bill at La Casona restaurant in Skewen.
Ann McDonagh told probationers she specifically targeted fine dining restaurants because “they weren’t something she would normally be able to afford”.
As well as the prison terms, the pair 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: “The thefts by McDonagh’s have had a devastating impact on local family restaurants.
“These companies, already facing numerous challenges, have suffered financial losses and emotional distress as a result of the McDonaghs’ actions.
“They were brought to justice today.”
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The couple skipped bills totaling over £1,000
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Their antics were caught on CCTVCredit: WNS
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