'Duped' father who tried to pass on fake cash is jailed

Wolverhampton Crown Court was told that David Arotiowa had been planning to get an amount of pound sterling exchanged to US dollars at a shop in Nigeria in October last year, but before entering a store he was persuaded by a man outside to let him exchange the cash.

The court heard that Arotiowa, who had been in the country visiting his father, was given $6,000 by the man but later realised he had been tricked and the currency was counterfeit.

Mr Mark Rees, prosecuting, said the 31-year-old visited The Money Shop, in Market Street, Wolverhampton, a month later and tried to exchange five, $100 bills.

But he said staff became suspicious and called police, who found Arotiowa in possession of 55 more fake $100 bills.

He was arrested and later acknowledged he had known the money was counterfeit.

Arotiowa, of Clifton Road, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, admitted tendering a counterfeit currency note and being in possession of other counterfeit currency notes with intent to pass them off as genuine on November 28 last year.

Mr Jasvir Mann, mitigating, said that Arotiowa had initially been 'duped' himself when he was handed the counterfeit money.

He said Arotiowa had told him that it was common practice in Nigeria to exchange currency in the way he did, adding: "He has used people like that in the past.

"They are often able to give a more favourable exchange rate. He allowed himself to be involved in that and he was duped.

"He had the courage to admit the matter at the police station and had the courage to plead guilty before the court."

He said the offence had been out of character for Arotiowa, who wants to work in the national health service.

Judge Robin Onions jailed Arotiowa for 10 months.

He said it had been 'deliberate dishonesty' and passing counterfeit notes undermined currency and affected how it was used and traded.

He told Arotiowa: "You were entirely the author of your own misfortune."

He said after realising the money was counterfeit he had deliberately tried to pass the loss onto someone else and had travelled from his home in Kingston Upon Thames to commit the crime.

The judge said he had lied about having no form of identification to staff at The Money Shop and said if he had been successful in changing the fake money it is likely he would have tried his luck again.

He added: "You went ahead with this with your eyes open and now you must pay the price."

Arotiowa was handed a 10-month prison term for each charge, to run concurrently, and an order was made for the forfeiture and destruction of the counterfeit cash.