A mother has admitted making a dining mistake and walking out of a Wagamama restaurant after refusing to pay, claiming there was a hair in her food.
Rosemary McDonagh was at a branch of the restaurant with friends in Ashford, Kent, when they were handed a bill for £277 to pay.
A court heard McDonagh complained about the food before leaving without paying the hefty bill.
The mother-of-two was arrested on Tuesday, September 10, and has now pleaded guilty to the offence of ‘dinner and dash’ at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court.
Ranji Prashar, prosecuting, said McDonagh had finished eating at Wagamama at about 4.30pm on January 23 this year.
Rosemary McDonagh (pictured) was at a branch of the restaurant with friends in Ashford, Kent, when they were handed a bill for £277 to pay. A court heard McDonagh complained about the food before leaving without paying the hefty bill.
Wagamama restaurant in Ashford, where McDonagh left without paying the bill. McDonagh refused to pay, claiming there was a hair in his food.
She said: ‘There were five or six other people who ordered food, which came to £226.90, and the others left and (McDonagh) and one other person were still there.
‘She then complained that there was a hair on her plate and her food was taken away and she was offered another one, but she refused to pay and left the restaurant.
‘During the interview he made no comments.’
McDonagh was also questioned over the theft of bed linen from a Dunelm store on December 27 last year.
The items, valued between £150 and £190, were stolen from the Ashford Retail Park store.
McDonagh admitted robbing a shop in Dunelm and fleeing without paying in connection with the incident in Wagamama.
In his defense, he told the court that his life was in disarray when he committed his crimes.
She said: ‘Back then, between December and April, I was in a bad relationship and my head was all over the place.
“I complained (to Wagamama) because I was not willing to pay their bill.”
Asked to explain more about her own circumstances, McDonagh told magistrates she is from the travelling community and lives with her parents and two young children.
The mother-of-two was arrested on Tuesday, September 10 and has now pleaded guilty to the offence of ‘eat and run’ at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court (pictured)
She added: ‘I’m not working, I’m on benefits and I get £600 Universal Credit a month.
‘I also get child benefit, but it’s for the kids, and I get PIP for my mental health – it’s about £400 to £500 a month.’
Despite the fact that McDonagh had previously committed several robberies and had previously been placed in community prison for her crimes, the magistrates decided to impose a financial penalty on her.
McDonagh was fined £138 for the Wagamama incident and ordered to pay the restaurant £50 for his meal.
He was not allowed to settle the outstanding bill that his table companions had accumulated.
But McDonagh was ordered to pay Dunelm £150 compensation for the bed linen he stole, but received no separate penalty for that offence.
The presiding judge warned him: “This must stop or you will be in serious trouble. You have two small children to think about.”
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