A MAN who attempted to buy multiple games consoles with fake £20 notes has been caught out as he was charged at an Inverness court.

Ross Melville bought the fake notes online that included a misspelling identifying them as "Twenty Poonds".

When Melville, 27, went to buy Playstation consoles from two different sellers on Gumtree last year, the spelling mistake was spotted, Inverness Sheriff Court heard.

Fiscal depute Ruaridh Allison said: “The accused met each of the parties by arrangement on September 7, at which time a price had been agreed on.

“Handing over the money, notes used in the transaction were found to be counterfeit.”

READ MORE: Police issue warning over forged 'twenty poond' bank notes

Melville, of Aviemore, was charged with two counts of fraud and one of possessing counterfeit currency with the intent to pass them off as genuine as the court heard there were 19 fake £20 notes.

Solicitor Josey Donachie pled guilty on Melville's behalf as he was not in attendance at the Inverness court.

She told the court that he had suffered a “lack of consequential thinking” when deciding to buy the fake notes and use them. She said that Melville had found his household £700 worse off after benefits payments were stopped.

She said that he chose to buy the consoles online to sell on for real cash due to the notes being of "such poor quality" that they would not be accepted.

She added: "He was just struggling at that time and thought that this would be a way to help."

Sheriff Gary Aitken called for a criminal justice social work report and deferred sentencing until 2022.