A would-be rapper found himself in court after buying 100 fake £5 notes from the internet to use in a ‘low-budget’ music video.

Charlie Park was arrested after the dodgy notes were found in his Darlington home when police were investigating reports of a breach of Covid lockdown rules more than two years ago.

The 26-year-old never denied being in possession of the fake notes and argued in magistrates’ court that the sole purpose for him buying them was to use in his promotional video.

And a judge pulled a £20 out his wallet to compare the quality of the notes against one of the fakes before he passed sentence.

Read next: Here are just some of the sex offenders locked up so far this year

Teesside Crown Court heard how Park had made no attempt to pass the notes off as genuine currency.

Paul Abrahams, prosecuting, said magistrates found the defendant guilty of possessing fake currency after rejecting his claim that the notes, marked as for joke purposes only, were legitimately held by the would-be musician.

He said police attended Park’s home on Locomotive Street, Darlington, at around 7pm on January 10 last year following a report of a Covid breach and officers spotted the pile of dodgy £5 in the house.

Victoria Lamballe, mitigating, said the father-of-two called rapper Kendog to give evidence on his behalf at the magistrates’ court to confirm the notes were to be used in a music video.

“They were planning a low-budget music video,” she said. “I have watched the video and can confirm that the notes were indeed used in it.”

The judge asked Miss Lamballe if the video ‘involve drug dealing’ imagery?

She replied: “Yes, it did.”

Read more:

​If you want to read more stories, why not subscribe to your Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here

Recorder Andrew Dallas said: “The previous judge, quite rightly, asked for examples of the notes to be brought to court – they are not very sophisticated.

“The serial numbers are all the same and there is small writing on them that reads – ‘use only for jokes and good mood’.

“You bought these notes on the internet, possibly not realising that you were committing an offence by doing so, but you had an intention to use them filming a low-budget music video.”

Sentencing Park to a 12-month community order with 15 rehabilitation activity days, the judge added: “If you breach this community order and come to court, you would be advised to bring a bag with you as you will be going to prison.”