THIS is the moment a “serial dine and dash” couple were locked in a pub to stop them fleeing a £62 lunch bill.
The pair are accused of having fleeced local businesses across Southend, Essex, out of hundreds of pounds and it has left locals fuming.
SWNSFootage caught the moment the pair were prevented from leaving the pub[/caption]
SWNSThe pub owner said the pair munched on two roast chicken dinners[/caption]
SWNSThe Castle Inn, in Little Wakering, Essex[/caption]
Their latest target, the Castle Inn in Little Wakering, has released shocking footage of the pair trying to escape on Sunday, 21 April.
Kerry Ann Stevens and partner Daniel Alani can be seen being pushed and held by customers and staff as they are stopped from leaving.
Footage also shows Stevens trying to push past one member of staff while clutching her bag, and shoves him as he tries to direct her back to the table.
Ken Todd, 76, the landlord, labelled the escape attempt over the £62 bill “upsetting”.
Todd said the pair tucked into a prawn cocktail, breaded mushrooms and two roast chicken dinners with extra lamb and enjoyed a number of drinks.
He said when the pair were stopped from leaving, the man became very loud.
“When we told them they had to pay for their meal, the woman said: ‘My dad will come and pay but he’s at the hospital with his grandson at the moment’.
“When we asked why they didn’t have any money, they didn’t give any answer at all – they just sat there.
“The customers blocked the entrance and were checking who was coming in and out.
“The man tried to leave through the back door of the pub which I had already locked and apparently the woman tried to escape by the bathroom window.
“It is a very stressful situation and it is difficult to deal with both at the time and afterwards but we’ll carry on – we’re lucky it was £60 and not £300.”
The Castle Inn called the police who arrived and took the couple’s details but were ultimately free to leave because the landlord deemed it not worth pursuing for £60.
Photos of the suspected couple at the pub have been posted on the Southend Crimewatch Facebook page.
This dine and dash isn’t the first time the pair have done so in the town.
Stevens is a former solicitor who was convicted of food thefts across multiple restaurants between 2021 and 2023.
SWNSThe pair can be seen in footage trying to leave without paying[/caption]
FacebookKerry Ann Stevens is a former lawyer who has been convicted previously on theft offences[/caption]
While Alani is believed to be an electrician whose former employer accused him of stealing £7,000 worth of equipment.
More than ten taxi drivers in the area are also claiming that they have fallen prey to the couple who have fled their cabs before paying their fares.
Patrick Pjetri, a taxi driver for the firm 333444 in Southend, said he fell victim to the couple on February 4 of this year.
Pejtri, 44, said he was notified by the taxi company’s office that two individuals had dodged a fare earlier that day with a description of the couple.
He said: “The man asked to get out the car earlier than the woman and when she asked to get out further down the road, she couldn’t offer any payment.
When we asked why they didn’t have any money, they didn’t give any answer at all – they just sat there
Ken Todd
“She offered me a phone charger saying its worth £20 when the fare was £19.20.
“When I refused, she started screaming and say ‘its enforcement of imprisonment’ because I said they’d have to leave something behind or wait until they could come up with the cash.
“She claimed they were going to get the money from one of their parents but in the end I had to just let her leave because of her screaming and shouting.”
Another victim of the pair, Steve Yeung, 52, said he has had no update from the police since his family-run restaurant was targeted in February.
Yeung’s Chinese restaurant The Pearl Dragon in Southend – just five miles away from the Castle Inn – was hit by the couple who fled without paying a £127 bill.
Yeung said: “We all knew they’d do it again – I’ve had no update from the police on my case.
“I don’t understand how they have all the details and yet still have not done anything.”
An Essex Police spokesperson said: “We were called at around 5.18pm to reports of two individuals trying to leave a pub in Little Wakering, without making payment.
“Officers attended and liaised with all staff, members of the public and all parties involved.
“Details were taken from two people at the scene and enquiries are ongoing.”
Two are arrested after ‘stealing £1,000 worth of food & drinks from restaurants’
COPS have arrested two people over an alleged “dine and dash” eating spree after they were accused of hitting restaurants for meals worth more than £1,000.
A 41-year-old man and 39-year-old woman are being quizzed by detectives after restaurants posted appeals to identify the family allegedly ordering slap-up meals before fleeing.
Eateries across a 30-mile radius in South Wales were struck after up to eight family members tucked into large meals.
The pair were reported to have ordered double drinks or deserts before failing to foot the bills.
Restaurants have since gone public with their warning about the family with cops believed to have been alerted by at least seven.
The family could face up to two years prison for theft from the series of rogue restaurant eat-outs so far over the last eight months.
SWNSLocals have accused the couple of a number of other thefts[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
