Kilkenny man jailed for trying to spend photocopied €50 in city shop

A prison sentence has been handed down to a Kilkenny man who tried to use counterfeit currency in a city centre shop.

However, the attempt was not successful when a shop assistant recognised the photocopied note as not legal tender.
counterfeit

James Carthy 6A Quay Court, New Building Lane, Kilkenny, went into the XL shop on Rose Inn Street, on September 15, 2024, at 3pm, and tried to use the counterfeit note in payment for cigarettes.

Inspector Barry Smith told Kilkenny District Court that the shop employee refused to accept the ‘money’ as payment but held on to it for the gardaí.

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Mr Carthy has previous convictions, the court heard, but none for offences of this nature.

“This was no great-thought-out criminal enterprise,” solicitor Chris Hogan suggested. He explained that Mr Carthy’s son had printed out one €50 note and then photocopied two more.

Mr Carthy had been drinking and went into the shop to buy cigarettes. The shop assistant immediately recognised the note as counterfeit and didn’t give Mr Carthy the cigarettes.

The defendant was arrested by gardaí and made certain admissions to them.

Mr Hogan said his client is out of prison six months and this is his only matter before the courts apart from a public order matter.

Judge Geraldine Carthy noted Mr Carthy had pleaded guilty to the charge of tendering a thing which he knew to be counterfeit currency. A sentence of four months imprisonment was handed down. Recognisace was fixed in the event of an appeal.