A SWANSEA woman ran up a bill of almost £200 at a top Gower restaurant — then left without paying.

Karen Marina Davies did a runner from Fairyhill in Reynoldston after she and a boyfriend enjoyed expensive food and wine there last New Year's Eve.

But the police were able to trace the mother-of-two because she had given her phone number when booking a table.

Davies, aged 45, of Mile End Close, Fforestfach, pleaded guilty to an offence of making off without paying when she appeared yesterday at Swansea Crown Court.

She was given a 10-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, after Judge John Diehl QC described her conduct at the "well known and highly reputable" restaurant as brazen. Ian Wright, prosecuting, said that on December 31 Davies rang Fairyhill and reserved a table for two that evening.

She made the booking in the name of Truelove and provided the receptionist with a mobile phone number. The court heard that when Davies turned up at 7.45pm she was with a boyfriend called Paul Truelove.

The couple had pre- dinner drinks. Then, in the restaurant, Davies ordered two eight-course set meals, at £75 each, plus a bottle of wine.

But during the meal she made a nuisance of herself by drunkenly interrupting the conversations of nearby diners and using foul language.

After the meal, Davies fell over in the ladies' toilets before going to the reception area and complaining of feeling unwell. She told a member of staff she was going outside to get some air and Mr Truelove went with her.

But the couple never returned, and the bill for £177 was left unpaid.

The court heard Fairyhill proprietor Paul Davies made several attempts to contact Davies by ringing the number and leaving messages, but she never replied. She was eventually arrested by the police in May, but claimed to have spent New Year's Eve at a carvery in Gorseinon.

She continued to tell lies even after being picked out during an identification procedure by a couple who had been sitting at a nearby table. Mr Wright said it was not until last month that Davies, who has previous convictions for dishonesty, changed her story and admitted involvement.

John Hipkin, in mitigation, said Davies — who was remorseful — had not made the booking until December 31 and therefore the crime "could not have been pre-planned for long". He urged the court to deal with her by means of a community order.

But Judge Diehl ruled there had to be a prison term, albeit a suspended one, and Davies would also have to pay £177 compensation.