Blane Macdonald's girlfriend handed over a dud $50 note in the Lavington McDonald's drive-through, then when that failed he tried to palm the note off at Albury Wodonga Health's opportunity shop.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But each time staff immediately recognised the note as a counterfeit, foiling Macdonald's plan to reap the benefit of the legitimate change he would get out of his small-value shopping.
Albury Local Court has been told that Macdonald claimed his girlfriend had received the note as part of the change from one of her own purchases.
"She didn't realise at the time it was fake," defence lawyer Camille McKay said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Police prosecutor Sergeant Andrew Pike said the charge of utter counterfeit money knowing it to be counterfeit had a maximum sentence, on indictment, of 12 years' jail.
Magistrate Richard Funston was sharply critical.
"This is a serious matter though, the court takes a very, very dim view of counterfeiting," he said.
The court heard this week how Macdonald and his girlfriend, who was driving, went through the McDonald's drive-through on September 21 about 7.30am.
She put in her order and handed over the note, but the order was refused because "the note was not real".
About 9am, the Lavington man went to the opportunity shop in Swift Street, Albury.
He looked around the store for about 15 minutes before trying to buy a beer stubby holder and a couple of shirts for $6.
But the staff member knew the $50 bill was fake, having seen one before.
Macdonald's note was "paper-like" with adhesive tape having been used to create the bill's clear window.
Macdonald, 32, pleaded guilty and was put on a 12-month conditional release order.
