Co Armagh man (22), convicted of possessing and tendering counterfeit currency, is given a jail term

Cian Nelson, aged 22, from Castor Bay Road, Lurgan, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Friday via video link from Maghaberry Prison.

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At an earlier hearing he was convicted of possessing counterfeit currency, two counts of tendering counterfeit currency and possessing a Class B Controlled Drug.

On September 18 last year police received a report from a business in Lurgan that on September 17 a customer had entered the shop to buy a motorcycle chain for £35 using two Bank of England £20 notes which were suspected counterfeit.

The customer later returned asking about another chain and was challenged about the earlier payment and left the shop. Police identified the defendant from CCTV footage.

A second report was received from a victim on September 19 who received £420 counterfeit currency from a man who bought a pit bike from him.

On September 17 the victim delivered a pit bike to Castor Bay Road to the suspect whose profile on Facebook Marketplace was named as the defendant.

The defendant then counted out the £420, put them in a bundle and handed it to him and left.

"Those notes were assessed to be counterfeit,” said the Prosecutor.

Police went to Castor Bay Road on September 22 and spotted the defendant going in through a window.

He was arrested and counterfeit currency was found on him also as well as an amount of the Class B drug cannabis.

Nelson’s barrister Mr Damien Halleron said his client is "still a relatively young man” who doesn’t have a record for dishonesty. He explained Nelson’s record relates mostly to drug or motoring offences.

Mr Halleron explained that Nelson bought the notes for a “small amount of money” and was “tendering them on in relatively small amounts and in relatively small transactions”.

He said it wasn’t done on an industrial scale but merely for ‘services he couldn’t afford at the time’.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan said these were “repeated attempts” to tender counterfeit notes.

For all three counterfeit charges he was sentenced to four months in jail and for the drugs charge he was given a two months jail term – all concurrent – plus a £25 Offender Levy.