FAKE £20 NOTES GANG JAILED
Charity shops on target list:
A GANG of four people who travelled around North Wales conning small businesses with counterfeit cash have been jailed.
A charity shop was among their targets as they visited Caernarfon, Porthmadog, Llangollen, Wrexham, Coedpoeth aand Ruabon over a threedaday period.
AllA four – John Maloney, 29,29, of no fixed address, AndrewAnd Capewell, 26, of May Street,Stree Walsall, Tristan Beard, 29,29, ofo Wilkes Avenue, Walsall, andand Jaleese Lewis, 18, of Alvingtoningtoo Close, Willenhall – admittedadm conspiring to pass thethe counterfeitc currency.
SentencingSe at Caernarfon CrownCrow Court, Judge Huw ReesRee told them: “This was a conspiracy.co You were in it together.to You travelled to North Wales intentionally to transact counterfeit banknotes.”b
Jo Maxwell, prosecuting,in said the gang bought oro attempted to buy small itemsite at 18 stores, using ““goodgo quality” counterfeit ScottishScot notes.
SheSh said the stores includeded conveniencec stores, newsagents,agen a hardware store and aa charitycha shop in Caernarfon.
InInn Wrexham, they attempteded tot buy drinks at a chip shop,shop and at several shops theythey asked for change in exchangeexch for a counterfeit note.not They also bought severaler lottery scratch cards.
“The counterfeit currencyr was accepted in somes shops but rejected ata others,” said Ms Maxwell.w “In all, 18 premises werew visited and one shop sufferedsu a loss of £60.”
The barrister said staff becamebec suspicious at some shopsshop and refused to accept thethe money, and the gang wouldwoul leave the premises.
““AtA Llangollen, Capewell bought a pair of gloves and tendered a counterfeit £20. But staff became suspicious when Lewis tried to buy similar gloves and handed over a similar £20,” she said. “A member of staff followed them out and challenged them to hand back the change and the gloves that had just been purchased.”
Maloney was verbally abusive to staff at a pharmacy in Wrexham after they refused to accept a fake £20 for painkillers.
Police were alerted and descriptions of the group and their car circulated. They were arrested in Staffordshire on February 3 last year.
Maloney was jailed for two years.
He is serving a threeyear jail term for a similar offence and the judge ordered the sentence to run consecutively.
Beard and Capewell were jailed for 15 months each, while Lewis got 10 months.
Barristers for all four conceded the charges were serious but argued the court could give credit for their guilty pleas.
After the hearing, Detective Constable Stephen Phelps said: “The use of forged banknotes can have a serious impact on businesses and individuals who are swindled in this way. The criminals responsible have deservedly been given prison sentences.”