A former lawyer accused of a series of "dine and dash" offences and fleeing the UK, including posing for pictures at Disneyland Paris, has finally been arrested. Kerry Stevens, 40, allegedly left several restaurants and taxis without paying in 2024, and had missed multiple court appearances before leaving the country, prompting four arrest warrants from Essex Police.

Stevens, of Shoebury, faces 11 counts of making off without payment and one count of theft, and is accused of running up bills including wine, fizzy drinks and Sunday roasts, with one restaurant, The Pearl Dragon, reporting a £127 unpaid bill. She was arrested on 30 August, appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court the next day, and has been ordered to surrender her passport ahead of a trial at Ipswich Crown Court on 9 November. Her partner, electrician Daniel Alani, has already pleaded guilty to related theft and non-payment charges, while Stevens is believed to have fled to Lorraine in north-east France before her arrest.