Cork man jailed over counterfeit notes and bag lined with tinfoil

Mallow District Court, where Jerry Foley was found guilty of holding 12 counterfeit €10 notes and a bag lined with tinfoil.

A Cork man was jailed, at Mallow District Court yesterday, for possession of counterfeit notes and for carrying a bag lined with tinfoil.

Jerry Foley was found by gardaí holding 12 counterfeit €10 notes and a bag lined with tinfoil.

Lining a bag with tinfoil can avoid triggering an alarm if stealing items from an alarmed premises. Carrying a bag lined with tinfoil can be a crime under section 15 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offenses) Act, 2001, which bans a person from possessing an article with the intention of using it for theft or burglary.

Foley said: “I was out of trouble for a decade, I was in the UK. I had a history of drugs but I was clean for 10 years.” 

Following his son’s death and his own return to Ireland, he said that his life spiralled out of control again.

“I lost my son, two brothers, and my sister. I broke down at my son’s grave and I went back to drugs and drink.

“I’m sincerely sorry. I’m drug-free in jail.” 

Foley, of 2 Ceol na Nearn, Gouldshill, Mallow, Co Cork, who is already serving a separate sentence in jail, said that he would really appreciate one more chance.

Judge Harney found him guilty of both charges. She sentenced him to two months in prison for possession of counterfeit notes and to one month in prison for possession of the tinfoil-lined bag.

Both sentences are to run concurrently.