Geordie man caught with £820 in fake ‘twenty poond’ notes

A Gateshead man was caught with a wad of counterfeit cash when he was searched at a Newcastle police station. When William Hickson was searched over an unrelated matter, officers found his socks stuffed with 41 £20 notes. The notes appeared genuine at first glance but there was something that made them stand out as fake – they were each worth “twenty poond”.Newcastle Crown Court heard the notes were examined by an expert from the Bank of England, who confirmed they were fake, Chronicle Live reported.  Prosecutor Andrew Finlay said the police had realised immediately that the notes were counterfeit and added: “There was £820, 41 notes in total. They all had the same serial number.’Hickson, 33, admitted possessing counterfeit currency, which he planned to try to spend, given the opportunity. William Hickson’s socks were stuffed with the fake cash. (Image: Northumbria Police)Rachel Hedworth, defending, said Hickson has suffered “significant adversity” in his life.He added: “He has accepted he was in simple possession of them and accepted he would have gone on to use them, had he had the opportunity.”Miss Hedworth said Hickson had not realised the notes were fake when he got them but added: “After a period of time he did realise that they were.”Recorder Jason Pitter KC told Hickson: “You were arrested and in your possession was £820 cash. All of that money was counterfeit. There were 41 notes in total. READ MORE: Wetherspoons announces new wave of pub closures The dead giveaway was the misspelling of pound as ‘poond’. (Image: Northumbria Police)’That is a very serious offence, which for obvious reasons crosses the custody threshold. The existence of counterfeit money undermines the economic system.”The court heard Hickson is not heavily convicted and has a history of mental health problems. He was sentenced to 23 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, with rehabilitation requirements and a year long curfew between 8pm and 6am.Police launched an investigation in 2019 after the fake ’20 poond’ notes were dispensed from an ATM in Lancaster. DON’T MISS: Ant and Dec admit true feelings on Matt Hancock’s I’m A Celeb debut [VIDEO]Humiliated Putin terrified of being ‘assassinated’ after war retreat [REPORT]Three symptoms appear a month before someone dies from a heart attack [REVEALED] William Hickson was found with 41 fake notes on him. (Image: Northumbria Police)Counterfeit £20 notes are sold in bulk on the black market for around £8 each and can easily end up in the wallets of unsuspecting shoppers, the Guardian reported at the time. In 2020, Devon and Cornwall Police issued a warning after a number of counterfeit ’20 poond’ notes were used. Police said they had received reports of individuals using or attempting to use the fake cash in shops and takeaways in the town centre and urged shopkeepers to be vigilant when accepting notes.