Family Awarded £75,000 After False 'Dine and Dash' Accusation by Village Pub

A family falsely accused of leaving a Derbyshire pub without paying their bill has been awarded £75,000 in damages following a libel case.

Peter and Ann McGirr, along with their children Peter Jr and Carol, were wrongly alleged to have left The Horse and Jockey pub in Tideswell without settling a £150 bill in July of last year. The pub posted CCTV images of the family on Facebook alongside the false accusations, labelling them as "dine and dashers."

The High Court in Belfast heard that the defamatory claims were repeated in four press articles, prompting the McGirr family—who are from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland—to take legal action for libel.

Barrister Peter Girvan, representing the family, told the court the accusations caused significant embarrassment and reputational harm.

"These articles contained serious and defamatory allegations that the plaintiffs had engaged in dishonest and criminal conduct by deliberately absconding without paying a bill of approximately £150," he said. "The allegations were entirely false. The plaintiffs had not engaged in any such conduct, and the statements made by the defendants had no factual basis."

The pub has since accepted full responsibility, agreeing to pay £75,000 in damages along with the family's legal costs. It also issued a formal apology, acknowledging that there was "no basis whatsoever" for the claims.

Speaking on behalf of the family outside court, solicitor Darragh Carney said they felt vindicated.

"Our clients were compelled to take legal action given the defamatory allegations made against them," he said. "They are very satisfied with the settlement, which includes a damages payment of £75,000 for the defamation of their character, as well as reimbursement of legal costs incurred in bringing this case."

The pub had previously attributed the error to an "inexperienced member of staff," who they said had taken payment via card machine but failed to register the transaction correctly on the till.

In a statement issued at the time, the pub said: "Regarding the table that we thought 'dined and dashed' last week, we would like to apologise to you and your families and help clear your names. It was an honest mistake by an inexperienced staff member. The employee in question is no longer working for us."

The Johnson Partnership, Derby