Quick-thinking staff spot counterfeit gang

8:50am Sunday 20th July 2008

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A SHARP-EYED shop assistant at Burton-in-Kendal motorway services helped bring a gang of counterfeiters to justice, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

The staff member spotted that £20 notes tendered by two customers – one for a cup of coffee and one for a bag of crisps – bore the same serial number.

That confirmed the suspicions he already had after seeing one of the men peel a note from “a great wad” in his jeans pocket, prosecuter Frank Nance said.

The shop assistant made a note of the registration number of the men’s car and raised the alarm. The men were arrested soon afterwards on the motorway near Carlisle.

When police searched their car they found forged notes with a total face value of £6,704, said Mr Nance.

He said that it was then discovered that the men had been arrested the previous day after being caught passing fake notes at 14 shops in Llandudno, North Wales, but had been allowed bail.

Vaughan Glennon, 25, and Christian Johnson, 26, both of Stretford, Manchester, were jailed for 14 months after admitting possessing counterfeit currency.

Ryan Denton, 24, of Oldham, was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, after admitting the same offence.

He was said to have been less involved and, unlike the two others, had no previous convictions for dishonesty.