Bid to pass bad coins fails twice

Press, 8 September 1989, Page 15

Bid to pass bad coins fails twice

A man who tried unsuccessfully to exchange 42 counterfeit 50c coins for banknotes pleaded guilty in the District Court yesterday to a charge of possessing the coins with intent to utter them, and to four other shoplifting offences involving property valued at $1143. Shaun Kevin McAllister, aged 28, unemployed, was convicted by Judge Holdemess and remanded in custody to September 22 for sentence. He was represented by Mr John Halls. Sergeant Max South said in relation to McAllister’s possession of counterfeit coins that he went into a cycle shop in Manchester Street on August 1 and asked the shop assistant to exchange the coins for notes. The assistant realised they were counterfeit and refused. McAllister went across the road to a Trust Bank Canterbury branch seeking to exchange them but the teller became suspicious and the police were called. When questioned by the police McAllister admitted knowing the coins were not genuine. He said he tried to exchange them only because the person from whom he

bought them had not returned to buy them back from him as arranged. Two of the shoplifting offences occurred 30 minutes apart on July 24. Sergeant South said that in the first McAllister took two T-shirts, together valued at $49, from a 'second-hand shop, hiding them under his jacket as he left. He then went into another second-hand dealer’s shop, in Manchester Street, and removed a small display pad containing 11 assorted gold rings valued at $950. He put them in the back of his trousers but as he was leaving the shop one of the rings fell to the floor. A shop assistant held McAllister until the police arrived. The other offences occurred on August 11. He stole a $55 gold locket and chain from an antique shop, but was apprehended in the shop. On August 29 he tried to sell some records at a record shop, but the shopkeeper noticed five compact discs in McAllister’s bag and saw that these were from a shelf in the shop. McAllister was apprehended the next day tiying to sell the stolen discs at a nearby video shop.