Alexander Pacteau was rumbled by police before he had the chance to try and spend any of the notes when they were given information that he may be involved in a scam.

Officers searched his Drumchapel flat where they found “equipment consistent” with making fake money.

His unsophisticated money-making scheme involved him scanning £20 notes and cutting out the print outs to pass them off as genuine money.

Pacteau — who was in a coma for weeks and unable to walk for six months after a serious car accident — was too embarrassed to tell his family that he was on disability benefits and that money was tight.

The 20-year-old pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to printing £20 Royal Bank of Scotland notes on March 1 this year that were intended to be used as real notes.

Now first-offender Pacteau, who didn’t want to admit to his family he was receiving benefits, has a criminal record.

He was spared jail by Sheriff Sam Cathcart who handed him a community payback order with 225 hours of unpaid work to complete in nine months.

The sheriff said: “You should be in no doubt this is a serious matter however given your age and lack of previous convictions I am prepared to deal with this, at least at this stage, other than by sending you to prison.” Pacteau was also told that if he breached the order he would be brought back to court and could be sent to prison.

At a previous hearing procurator fiscal depute Harry Findlay told the court: “Police were in possession of certain information that the accused might be involved in counterfeit currency.” He said a warrant was granted and they searched his flat at Cloan Avenue and found “equipment consistent with the production of counterfeit currency”.

The court heard a laptop, various ink cartridges, a printer and paper trimmer were found there.

Mr Findlay added that there was notes, purporting to be real bank notes, to the value of £6,000.

Defence lawyer Andy Phillips told the court that Pacteau is a man with no previous convictions who comes from a good family and was privately educated at Kelvinside Academy.

He said: “The root of this offence goes back to 2011 when Mr Pacteau was 17, he left school and embarked upon his own business enterprise with an online furniture business.” Mr Phillips said that in November 2011 Pacteau was involved in a serious car crash and was put in an induced coma for three to four weeks and suffered a broken hip and ribs.

The court was told he couldn’t walk for six months and was on crutches for a year afterwards.

The lawyer said that after getting out of hospital and staying with his dad for a time, Pacteau got his own flat and, unable to work, received disability living allowance.

Mr Phillips added: “He told me he felt ashamed that he had to sign on for benefits despite his injuries and circumstances he found himself in and did not want to admit this to his family so he put on the pretense he was running his own business again, successfully.” Describing how the notes were made Mr Phillips said: “He tells me he would place three £20 notes on an ordinary scanner then simply print them and cut them out.” The court heard Pacteau intends to restart his furniture business.