A DRUNK Clydebank man who tried to use a fake £10 to buy more booze has avoided jail because it was not worth the cost.

Robert Faulds, who was listed in court papers as “aka Bobby”, blamed his actions on “drunken stupidity”.

The 25-year-old, of Clyde Court, Littleholm Place, had previously admitted trying to pass the counterfeit note on January 23 this year at the Day to Day store in Mountblow Road.

Depute fiscal Jeanette Maclean told Dumbarton Sheriff Court last week that said police were in the store dealing with another incident when they noticed Faulds acting suspiciously and avoiding eye contact.

Faulds went to the bank machine in the shop but didn’t withdraw anything. He then took alcohol to the till to purchase and tried to pay with a Bank of Scotland £10 note that was an “obvious” fake.

“He stated he had just withdrawn it from the cashpoint,” said Ms Maclean. “When challenged, he became defensive. Police took his details. He stated, ‘Trouble follows me’. He was allowed to leave.”

Defence solicitor Judith Reid said her client had been assaulted and was in hospital for quite some time and that trouble follows his “historic abuse of alcohol”.

She said: “Sometimes he can hold down a reasonable job and support a family. He has been largely dealt with by custodial sentences – a community payback order (CPO) would be of considerable benefit to Mr Faulds.

“He has started to move in the right direction in terms of his drinking.”

Sheriff Simon Fraser was blunt in his assessment.

“Not very bright Mr Faulds,” he said. “I’m certainly not going to send you to prison for one counterfeit £10. That would not either benefit you or society and cost a considerable amount of money.”

Faulds was sentenced to a CPO with one year of supervision, 100 hours of unpaid work in the community within the next six months, and to undertake any alcohol service recommended by the social work department.