A teenager who toured the country passing counterfeit £50 notes shocked a sheriff by his persistent offending.
Sheriff Margaret Neilson was told 18-year-old James Maughan, of Nelson in Lancashire, had three previous convictions for handing over forged money to premises in Forfar and Perth earlier in 2018.
“Then a few months later after being sentenced for those offences, he does the same thing in Nairn. It is shocking.” Sheriff Neilson commented.
The sheriff told Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday that she was considering a custodial sentence for Maughan.
However she continued his bail until February 3 pending a background report after hearing that he had complied with his bail conditions since his previous court appearance.
Maughan admitted uttering the forged Irish banknote in the Semichem shop in Nairn on October 25, 2018.
The court heard he bought a £9.99 hairdryer and pocketed the change. But the staff didn’t check the authenticity of the note until after the purchase.
“The manager had told his staff to accept it. After it was confirmed a forgery, the police were notified.” Fiscal depute Martina Eastwood said.
Defence solicitor Marc Dickson said: “These convictions are of some vintage and he has nothing outstanding.”