Men jailed for using fake bank notes in shops

Patrick Ward (left) and Jason Ward were arrested in Wakefield in January

Two men who used fake Scottish bank notes to buy items in shops before returning the purchases for a cash refund have been jailed.

Patrick Ward, 22, of Coole Park, Galway, Ireland, and Jason Ward, 20, of Radharc Na Freine, Galway, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to have a counterfeit currency note, passing counterfeit currency and converting criminal property.

Patrick was sentenced to 30 months in prison, while Jason was sentenced to 28 months in a young offender institution on 23 May at Leeds Crown Court.

A third man, William Browne, 19, of St Finbars Terrace, Galway, was also charged but failed to appear at court and a warrant has been issued for his arrest, West Yorkshire Police said.

Patrick and Jason were arrested in Wakefield on 21 January after officers found items in their car that had been bought from various stores in Wakefield, Barnsley, Sheffield and Chesterfield.

Officers said the pair had used counterfeit Clydesdale bank notes to buy the items and then refunded them for cash at other branches of the shop.

They said further offences linked to the group were found in the Thames Valley, West Midlands, West Mercia, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire police force areas.

Police advised retailers to be aware of the signs of counterfeit notes

Det Sgt Craig Twycross said: "This was a complex investigation which has prevented fake notes circulating around the country and leaving businesses with worthless cash."

He said the pair "came to the UK from Ireland with a view to using fake cash to fund their lifestyles, and it is right that they have been successfully prosecuted for their offending".

Neil Harris, head of the national counterfeit currency unit at the National Crime Agency said: "This investigation targeted a criminal enterprise where the suspects committed crimes across numerous police force areas.

"However, with the participation of police officers from all of the identified policing areas, the full scale of the offending could be placed before the courts by West Yorkshire Police."

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