Teenager used fake £50 note in Nairn shop Inverness Sheriff Court is told

An 18-year-old tried to pass off a counterfeit note as genuine in Nairn, having already been found guilty of the same offence elsewhere.

Sheriff Margaret Neilson was told 18-year-old James Maughan of Ethersall Road, Nelson, in Lancashire, had three previous convictions for trying to use fake notes in Forfar and Perth in 2018.

“Then a few months later, after being sentenced for those offences, he does the same thing in Nairn. It is shocking,” she said.

The sheriff said she was considering a custodial sentence for Maughan but agreed to continue bail until February 3 pending a background report after hearing that he had complied with bail conditions since a previous court appearance.

Maughan admitted passing the forged Irish banknote in the Semi-Chem shop in Nairn on October 25, 2018.

The court heard he bought a hairdryer for £9.99 and pocketed the change. Staff did not check the authenticity of the note until after the purchase.

“The manager had told his staff to accept it," fiscal depute Martina Eastwood said. "After it was confirmed a forgery, the police were notified.”

Defence solicitor Marc Dickson said: “These convictions are of some vintage and he has nothing outstanding.”