A man who left a fake name with a service station after failing to pay for his fuel has been sentenced to two months in prison.
Kieran Nigel Gordon (34), appeared before Craigavon Magistrates’ Court via videolink from Maghaberry on Friday, charged with fraud by false representation.
The court was told Gordon had entered a guilty plea to the charge on the Tuesday prior.
The incident occurred on June 28 last year, when Gordon put £20 of fuel into his car at a petrol station in Donaghcloney.
He was unable to pay and told staff that his wife had just had a baby and he left his wallet in the maternity ward.
He gave his name as ‘Mark Smith’, completing an inability to pay form and leaving a contact number.
There were a series of texts between him and a member of staff, with him saying “do as you wish, this isn’t a drive off” and “proofs of payment attached, I consider this civil matter closed”.
The defendant was subsequently prosecuted for the false name, despite eventually paying for the fuel.
A defence lawyer told the court that Gordon had recently been dealt with in a sentencing matter for five cases, with one matter also outstanding.
He said that Gordon was due to be released on August 8 and would have a suspended sentence hanging over him upon release.
“Although it was a false name it was the right phone number and that was how they were able to get in touch with him,” he said.
“He’s got a record for that and he’s in custody for that reason because this is the type of thing that he’s engaged in.”
District Judge Ranaghan sentenced Gordon to two months in prison, concurrent with his current sentence.
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