A man who went on the run after being caught using fake currency in stores across County Durham has been jailed.
Kevin Stokes was one of three men who were seen using counterfeit Scottish £20 notes at shops including a Sainsbury's, a fish and chip shop and a general store in October 2020. The 22-year-old was using the fake notes to buy cheap items in order to receive legitimate change. After Stokes was caught, he was due to appear for sentence in March last year, but failed to show up and instead went on the run for months.
This week, Stokes, formerly of Hawthorn Crescent, Horden, was finally brought to justice after appearing at Durham Crown Court via link from HMP Durham to be sentenced for three counts of possessing counterfeit money and failing to surrender. He committed the offences while serving a suspended sentence which was imposed in Northern Ireland, and could not be activated in England.
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Uzma Khan, prosecuting, said Stokes and two other men went to a Sainsbury's in Durham on October 12 where one of them bought goods and received £18 change. The trio then went on to use the notes at Red's Fish Bar, but an employee became suspicious after noticing the serial numbers on the notes were the same. They left without buying anything.
Ms Khan said they then went to a Co-op in Consett where they "looked out of place" when attempting to buy fabric conditioner. She said the employee working in the store checked the notes and saw they were counterfeit. Finally, the three men went to a local shop. Ms Khan said: "The three men entered and each male purchased items with a Scottish £20 note. Once the defendant left, the notes were checked and had the same serial numbers."
The court heard Stokes, and another one of the men, were identified from CCTV and arrested. Stokes admitted responsibility, but he failed to show up to court for sentence, eventually going on the run "for a number of months".
David Watts, defending, said Stokes was a father-of-two and that he went back to Northern Ireland to attend the funeral of a close family member following his arrest. He said when he returned to England “his head was not in the right place" and "stuck his head in the sand on this issue and waited for the police to arrest him.” Mr Watts added that Stokes had now moved away from the North East in order to make a fresh start.
Sentencing Stokes, Judge James Adkin said it was an organised "team effort" and that Stokes had "appeared to be buying cheap items in order to receive legitimate change". He was jailed for nine months.
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