A granddad found counterfeiting more difficult tha

A granddad found counterfeiting more difficult than he
thought when he turned his garage into a money-making factory.

The fivers George Orchard turned out on a sophisticated
copier were the wrong colour, Southwark Crown Court was told
today Friday.

And the Queen’s head watermark on his twenties looked
more like Quasimodo than the sovereign.

When 59-year-old Orchard first started to print fivers
he could not stop it and sheets of useless notes piled up around
him ‘like the Sorcerer’s apprentice.

‘
He later turned to pnds stlg 20 notes with more
success putting in the silver line with a pen.

He was forced to sell pnds stlg 15,000 worth of the
notes for pnds sltg 300 and just six weeks after he started the
operation his home was raided.

Judge Marcus Anwyl-Davies jailed Orchard for two and a
half years, telling him: ‘Our national currency must be
maintained.

‘
The court heard self employed electrician Orchard
bought the stolen pnds stlg 13,000 copier for pnds stlg 2,000
when orders dried up.

He set to work in his garage and in adittion to
sterling, produced dollars, tax discs and HGV licences.

When police raided his home they found 2,000
twenty pound notes and over 100 fivers as well as 157
tax discs.

There were also forged licences and insurance
certificates, said prosecutor Mr Jeremy Benson.

Orchard’s car and van were taxed with forgeries and
parked outside his home in Elmhurst Road, Eltham, S.

E London.

‘The forged notes were even wrapped in forged Barclay’s
bank wrappers,’ said counsel.

When arrested and interviewed Orchard confessed all to
detectives.

Miss Alison Brookes, defending, said Orchard was
driven to crime when his business faltered.

‘His wife was made ill by their money problems and at
one point thought the only way to recover was to leave him.

‘This is a gentleman who is obviously not a profes
sional forger.

‘The five pound notes are in fact the wrong
colour.

He wanted to do a test run but a large number came
out because he could not get the programming right.

‘The stamp looks more like a copy of Quasimodo than
the Queen,’ added Miss Brookes.

Orchard admitted three charges of possessing
counterfeit notes, forging documents, handling stolen
goods, possessing materials for forgery and fraudulent use of
an excise licence.

He also admitted possessing ten rounds of .

303
ammuntion which he handed over to police when they raided his
home.

Passing sentence the judge told the father of
five: ‘It is sad to see a man of your attainments and intelli
gence in the situation which you are today.

‘You have caused you family unnecessary anguish through
your folly and your good character has gone for all time.

‘The counterfeiting of the currency of the realm
is exceedingly serious and the same goes for official documents.

‘
ENDS
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