A family awarded £75,000 after being wrongly accused of leaving a pub restaurant without paying their dinner bill are multi-millionaires who sued the landlord because their reputation was severely damaged, MailOnline can reveal.
Peter and Ann McGirr enjoyed a slap up meal with their adult children Peter Jr and Carol at the Horse and Jockey pub in the Peak District in July last year, eating £27 10oz ribeye steaks with all the trimmings and two £15.25 Derbyshire gammon steaks, washed down with several real ales and lagers.
But after the family left, the pub posted CCTV images of them on Facebook alleging that they had left without paying their £150 bill – and condemned them for their ‘shocking behaviour’.
The false allegation of them being ‘dine and dashers’ led to a huge social media backlash against the McGirrs and were also widely reported in the national media.
There was just one problem. The McGirrs had paid their bill, in full. A member of staff at the pub had forgotten to ring the transaction through the till.
Last week, the McGirrs were awarded £75,000 in damages at the High Court in Belfast after successfully suing the pub for libel on the basis of the ‘serious and defamatory accusations’.
The pub’s management settled before evidence was heard, acknowledged the distress it had caused and cleared the family of any wrongdoing.
But what has not been known until now is the wealth the McGirrs enjoy, making them amongst the richest people in County Tyrone and their standing as pillars of the local community which prompted them to launch legal action to salvage their reputation.
Peter and Ann McGirr enjoyed a slap up meal with their adult children Peter Jr and Carol at the Horse and Jockey pub in the Peak District in July last year
They enjoyed a £27 10oz ribeye steaks with all the trimmings and two £15.25 Derbyshire gammon steaks, washed down with several real ales and lagers.
But after the family left, the pub posted CCTV images of them on Facebook alleging that they had left without paying their £150 bill
The false allegation of them being ‘dine and dashers’ led to a huge social media backlash against the McGirrs and were also widely reported in the national media
The landlord of the Horse and Jockey apologised to innocent diners (not pictured here) who the establishment accused of walking out on their £150 bill
MailOnline can also reveal that the successful outcome of their case has left John Watson, 59, the landlord of the pub facing financial ruin as he will have to fork out around £140,000 in total.
In addition to the £75,000 in damages paid to the McGirrs, Mr Watson also has to cover their legal costs, estimated at £40,000 and pay for his own legal costs of just over £20,000.
In an attempt to settle the case before it reached court, MailOnline understands that Mr Watson flew to Belfast to personally apologise to the McGirrs and offered them a complimentary meal and stay in his pub in return for dropping the legal action.
A source told MailOnline: ‘A lot of ordinary people might have accepted this. But given the McGirrs’ wealth and excellent reputation, that was never going to happen with them. I feel a bit sorry for the pub management because in this instance, they picked on the wrong family over a £150 bill.
‘They are not the kind of people to do a ‘dine and dash’ so I didn’t believe it when I first heard about it. But their reputation received such a battering they were left with little choice other than to take legal action to restore their name.’
A family friend of the McGirrs’ added: ‘They are very well known and respected in the Omagh area and are one of the wealthiest families around here. Everybody was very shocked when these allegations were first made because the McGirrs are not short of a pound or two.
‘Some people just couldn’t understand why people as rich as them would do something like this and a lot of horrible things were said about them, not just on social media but by some within the community. It was a very difficult time for the family because they knew all along that they were innocent.’
The family run and own McGirr Engineering, an internationally renowned company that manufactures block making machines for the construction industry and is based just outside Omagh, where they also live.
According to latest documents filed at Companies House, the business is worth more than £2 million and has cash reserves of £1.3 million. Its annual turnover is not listed but sources told MailOnline that this is ‘several’ million pounds.
The firm employs around 20 people making specialist machines that can cost anything up to £150,000 each and are sold all over the world.
Carol McGirr, daughter of Peter and Ann, said following the verdict: ‘Thank god it’s all over and our names are cleared’
Last week, the McGirrs were awarded £75,000 in damages at the High Court in Belfast after successfully suing the pub for libel on the basis of the ‘serious and defamatory accusations’ Pictured: Peter and Ann with their daughter Carol
The pub blamed the error on an ‘inexperienced member of staff’ who was said to have taken payment via card machine but not printed the bill on the till. Pictured: Peter Jr with his wife
Pictured: Carol with Ann and Peter with their family at lunch
McGirr Engineering is considered the UK’s leading block equipment manufacturer and was founded 40 years ago by Peter McGirr senior, 69, one of the four family members falsely accused of doing a ‘dine and dash.’
A friend revealed that he had taken his family to the Peak District for a short break and so enjoyed the food at the Horse and Jockey pub that they returned for a second meal.
The friend said: ‘Peter is a self-made man and a credit to his family and community. He built this business from nothing, and it is now run by his son Peter Junior. But despite his age, he still turns up for work and gets involved.
Pub landlord John Watson
‘A lot of people around here know and admire him. The name of the family is important to Peter and that’s why they had to take this legal action. They don’t need the money. They could have gone for even more than £75,000 but this was all about setting the record straight and repairing the reputational damage the family suffered.’
At the High Court in Belfast, Peter Girvan, the family’s barrister said that the pub’s claims and subsequent media reporting of them caused enormous reputational damage to the family.
He told the court: ‘These articles contained serious and defamatory accusations that the plaintiffs had engaged in dishonest and criminal conduct by deliberately absconding without settling a bill of approximately £150.
‘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 family’s solicitor, Darragh Carney, said they had been ‘vindicated’, reading a statement on their behalf outside court.
He added the group were ‘very satisfied with the settlement’ by way of compensation for ‘defamation of their character’.
MailOnline understands that Mr Watson flew to Belfast to personally apologise to the McGirrs and offered them a complimentary meal and stay in his pub in return for dropping the legal action. Pictured: Mr Watson and his wife Rebecca
Last year the pub blamed the error on an ‘inexperienced member of staff’ who was said to have taken payment via card machine but not printed the bill on the till.
A statement issued by the pub last July read: ‘We want to sincerely apologise to the people involved because we have now learnt that they did in fact pay for their meal.
‘There was no dishonesty involved from our staff, it was an honest mistake, but we have dismissed the member of staff responsible for the error.’
An apology was also read out in court which acknowledged the distress caused and fully cleared the family of any wrongdoing.
Following the settlement, Carol McGirr, daughter of Peter and Ann, said in a statement uploaded to Facebook: ’10 months later.. thank god it’s all over and our names are cleared.
‘Tip for all our friends and family: don’t pay for your food and drink before you eat as this is what can happen.. plus use a card otherwise we had [sic] no evidence of payment.’
The post was met with supportive comments such as ‘I’m sorry to hear that you had to endure so much’ and ‘What a nightmare it has been’.
