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

A Scottish restaurant, La Dolce Vita, has criticised a couple who left the establishment without settling their £80 bill. The pair reportedly used a "handbag trick" to make their escape.

CCTV footage shared online shows the man and woman seated outside before leaving separately on October 20. According to the East Kilbride eatery's team, the duo ordered two starters, three main courses, and two desserts, racking up a substantial bill.

After placing their large order, the couple allegedly stepped out for a cigarette and never returned. Staff members claim the woman feigned her return by leaving a handbag inside the venue, which was later found to be empty.

A spokesperson for the restaurant expressed their frustration with the situation. As of now, no arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

A representative for Police Scotland stated: "Around 5.45pm on Sunday, October 20, police received a report of a theft from a premises in the Main Street area of East Kilbride. Enquiries into the circumstances are at an early stage.", reports the Mirror.

This incident follows a similar case earlier this year where a married couple in Wales were imprisoned for a series of "dine and dash" offences. Bernard McDonagh, 41, and Ann McDonagh, 39, both of Sandfields, Port Talbot, were incarcerated for their dishonest actions.

Swansea Crown Court was told the couple indulged in three-course meals at various establishments, including choices like T-bone steaks and had ordered desserts, only to leave some untouched. It emerged that using over 40 aliases and 18 different dates of birth, they had deceived four restaurants and a takeaway, causing a collective loss of £1,168.10 to these businesses.

Judge Paul Thomas handed Ann McDonagh a 12-month prison sentence and Bernard McDonagh an eight-month term. In his remarks, Judge Thomas suggested their crimes could stem from "pure and utter greed".

Addressing them directly, he said: "From the autumn of last year to spring of this year, you two set out on a deliberate course of sustained dishonesty."

"You would go to restaurants with your own family. You would have food and drink served to you to the value of hundreds of pounds and then you would cynically and brazenly leave without paying. You would order the most expensive items on the menu such as steaks in the full knowledge that you had no intention whatsoever of paying for them."

He further commented on their conduct, telling them: "You were not going to these places to feed you and your family, it was criminality for criminality's sake – to see if you could get away with it. I have no doubt, apart from the greed element, you had got a buzz out of what you were able to get away with on a regular basis."