'Dine and dash' couple flee restaurant without paying £80 after using 'handbag trick'

A edifice has exposed a dine and dash mates successful Scotland aft they allegedly utilized a 'handbag trick' to unreal that they were returning to the restaurant

A edifice has slammed a mates aft they fled a venue without paying their £80 bill.

The Scottish establishment, called La Dolce Vita, exposed the sneaky brace and said they utilized a "handbag trick" to get away. In CCTV footage which has emerged online, the antheral and the pistillate were seen sitting extracurricular earlier they walked disconnected separately connected October 20. The squad astatine the edifice in East Kilbride said they raked up an eyewatering measure which included 2 starters, 3 mains and 2 desserts.

After the immense order, the mates "nipped retired for a cigarette" and near without paying. Staff said the pistillate pretended that she was coming backmost by leaving a handbag wrong the venue. When the squad went to analyse they realised that the achromatic container was wholly empty. A restaurant spokesperson said they were "angry and annoyed" with the situation.

So far, nary arrests person been made successful narration to the incident. A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Around 5.45pm connected Sunday, October 20, constabulary received a study of a theft from a premises successful the Main Street country of East Kilbride. Enquiries into the circumstances are astatine an aboriginal stage.”

It comes aft a joined mates successful Wales were jailed after they committed a drawstring of “dine and dash” offences earlier this year. Bernard McDonagh, 41, and Ann McDonagh, 39, some of Sandfields, Port Talbot, were enactment down bars for the dishonest act.

Swansea Crown Court heard however they ordered three-course meals for themselves and their household including T-bone steaks and desserts, with immoderate being sent backmost uneaten. It was reported that the pair, who utilized much than 40 aliases and 18 dates of commencement betwixt them, committed the enactment successful 4 restaurants and 1 takeaway. In total, the companies mislaid £1,168.10 collectively.

Judge Paul Thomas sentenced Ann McDonagh to 12 months successful prison and Bernard McDonagh to 8 months, telling them their actions could person been motivated by “pure and utter greed”. He told them: “From the autumn of past twelvemonth to outpouring of this year, you 2 acceptable retired connected a deliberate people of sustained dishonesty.

“You would spell to restaurants with your ain family. You would person nutrient and portion served to you to the worth of hundreds of pounds and past you would cynically and brazenly permission without paying. You would bid the astir costly items connected the paper specified arsenic steaks successful the afloat cognition that you had nary volition whatsoever of paying for them.”

The justice added: “You were not going to these places to provender you and your family, it was criminality for criminality’s involvement – to spot if you could get distant with it. I person nary doubt, isolated from the greed element, you had got a buzz retired of what you were capable to get distant with connected a regular basis.”