‘I didn’t realise how bald I was gone’

A man captured on CCTV trying to buy a latte with a forged €20 note accepted the bald truth of the crime when it was presented to him.

Keith Butler, aged 38, formerly of St Joseph’s Park, Mayfield, Cork, went to two garages in Cork on the same date and tried to use forged €20 notes in both premises.

He fled the scenes when shop assistants realised what was going on but he was clearly visible on CCTV from both premises.

Investigating gardaí later showed him the security videos of the incidents.

Insp Ronan Kennelly said at Cork District Court yesterday that when the CCTV was shown to the 38-year-old, not only did he identify himself as being in the video, he remarked: “I didn’t realise how bald I was gone.”

Judge Olann Kelleher sentenced Butler to two concurrent five-month prison sentences.

Butler went to Topaz on Monahan Rd on December 2, 2014, at 7.45pm, and tried to pass off a €20 counterfeit note for a latte coffee.

The note was not accepted by the staff member, who seized the dud note. Butler became irritated and tried unsuccessfully to pull it back from the staff member. Butler ultimately paid for the coffee with a genuine €50, got his change, and left.

On the same date, he went to Esso on South Link Rd, Cork, where he tried to pay for a Euromillions ticket. Again the person working at that premises spotted the counterfeit. Butler tried to pull the €20 back from the member of staff, failed to do so, and left emptyhanded.

Donal Daly, defence solicitor, accepted the accused had 39 previous convictions and said of the attempts to pass forged notes that Butler was in a bad place at the time. The five months imposed yesterday will run concurrently with six months he is presently serving for another crime.