British Man Who Skipped Restaurant Bill Ordered To Pay Two Years Later
A British man has been ordered to pay over $750 for a luxury meal, two years after sneaking out of the restaurant without paying. Milsom’s Restaurant in Dedham, Essex is now getting their fair due.
The man, William Potter, 48, and three friends (two men and one woman) apparently dined well, eating scallops, beef fillet, lamb shanks and cod, followed by desserts, all washed down with a couple of bottles of Dom Perignon champagne at $222 a pop. They also uncorked an Italian Pinto Grigio at $35 and two bottles of an excellent Rioja wine costing $52 each.
According to the Mirror, the group ate lavishly and had probably preplanned their escape without paying. When they finished their meal, the British man’s friends apparently left the restaurant and started the getaway car, while Potter told restaurant employees he would pay the bill once he had visited the toilet. However, once he headed to the toilet, he managed to sneak out of the restaurant and vanished completely.
As the restaurant doesn’t take bookings, they had no idea of the names of the diners. However, due to CCTV footage captured of the group, along with a little publicity, police have now managed to track Potter down and he finally admitted responsibility.
When he appeared in Chelmsford Crown Court on Wednesday, he received a 120 hour unpaid work order with supervision for a year and was also told to pay the outstanding restaurant bill of around $750.
The Daily Mail quoted Paul Milsom, owner of the restaurant speaking shortly after the February 2, 2013 incident, as saying, “They obviously decided they were going to do this and ran up a big bill.”
“Our average spend is not that high and this was clearly premeditated which is disheartening. They knew what they were doing. This was no mistake.”
While admitting this type of crime hardly ever happens, Milsom went on to say that the CCTV was there to ensure that if it does happen, they can identify the people involved. It just seems to take a bit of time to track the criminals down.
It seems Milsom’s is doing reasonably well despite the British man’s crookery. The restaurant and combined bed & breakfast has recently undergone an extensive renovation.
@MilsomsDedham opens today after a fabulous refurb, make sure you visit soon pic.twitter.com/TjD6905wzL
— MH&R (@milsomhotels) January 13, 2015
In other food-related news, the Inquisitr discusses the ingredients of one of the most popular fast foods in America, going on at length about the many chemicals contained in McDonald’s French fries. However, the British man in this case apparently had higher intentions when skipping the bill than eating McD’s.
[Image: CCTV capture in Milsom’s Restaurant released by local police]
