A counterfeiter passed his time running off dud £20 notes on a home printer and colouring them in with pens to make them look authentic, a court has heard.

Francis Stevenson printed money for himself before going on a shopping spree.

But his fake banknotes scam came to an end when an alert shop assistance in Paisley spotted the forged bank note when the 44-year-old handed one over while attempting to make a purchase in a Causeyside Street store on July 19 and notified police.

Stevenson was remanded in custody last month for reports to be prepared having pled guilty to four charges.

Yesterday he was given a Community Payback Order requiring him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.