Kinross man branded "worst counterfeiters"

Jul 30 2010 by Alison Lowson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

A KINROSS man was branded “one of the world’s worst counterfeiters” at Perth Sheriff Court.

Sheriff Michael Fletcher warned Alan Gibson (57), of Mill Street, that he could face a jail sentence.

He said his forged £10 and £20 notes looked “fairly genuine” at first glance and described his forgery offences as “extremely serious.”

The court was told that the bungling counterfeiter printed off the notes on his home computer scanner and printer.

He then took one of them into a Kinross baker’s, said he wasn’t sure if it was counterfeit or not – and asked them to check.

When they told him it was a fake, he asked for it back. But they kept it and alerted the police.

But less than 10 days later he went to a stall at the Kinross Sunday Market and tried to buy items with a dodgy £20 note.

Again, the quality of the forgery let him down but this time the cash was returned.

But the police were on to him and three days later they obtained a search warrant for his house.

Officers seized two £20 Bank of Scotland notes and three £10 Bank of England notes. All had the SAME serial number.

Other notes discovered also appeared to have been printed on just ONE side.

Officers also took possession of a printer found in his livingroom which he had been using to knock off the counterfeit cash.

Gibson himself had described his attempts at forgery as “absolute rubbish” but Sheriff Fletcher had deferred sentence until Wednesday so he could see the quality of his work.

Gibson admitted having a fake £20 Royal Bank of Scotland note at Baynes Bakery in Kinross High Street on March 5.

He also handed over a counterfeit £20 RBS note to the Kinross market stallholder on March 14.

He further pled guilty to making counterfeit £10 and £20 notes by scanning and printing them off at his house on March 17.

Solicitor John McLaughlin maintained that the quality of the paper his client had used was a “give-away”.

He added: “In fact, police have said that if Mr Gibson is not the world’s worst counterfeiter, then he must be running him close.”

The accused now realised how “stupid and immature” he had been.

Sheriff Fletcher deferred sentence until September 1 for a range of background reports and warned Gibson: “Custody is still near the top of the list of disposals.”