Man admits making off after running up restaurant bills of £175
A man who ran up restaurant bills worth £175 and ran off after his meals has pleaded guilty to making of without paying for a service.
Gavin Cole ordered Jack Daniel's whiskeys, vodka and beer at a the Kylin Chinese restaurant in South Shields. When he tried to pay the £60 bill his card was declined and he fled, according to the Shields Gazette.
Two weeks later he left nearby Da Vinci's restaurant after consuming £115 worth of fillet steak and spirits.
Cole pleaded guilty to two counts of making off without paying for a service at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court.
Explaining why his cards had been declined, Cole told police that he mistakenly thought some wages had been paid into his account.
His defence told the court: "When he's out of work he ends up going on massive benders, and this is one of them.
"He doesn't know why he acts like this when he is out of work.
"On both occasions he didn't go to the restaurants with the intention of not paying, but under the influence of alcohol he doesn't think straight."
Cole will be sentenced at a later date.
