Tashieka Mair, Star Writer

WESTERN BUREAU

A man who was recently sent back to Jamaica after spending two years in the Bahamas found himself in trouble almost immediately upon his arrival.

Samuel Gibson of Galina, St. Mary, was arrested and charged with uttering a counterfeit note on October 5, when he tried to change a US$50 note.

He pleaded guilty to the charge, but later changed his plea when the matter was mentioned in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Friday.

He explained that when he was leaving the Bahamas, he changed some Bahamian currency for the US$50 note at the airport.

Allegations are that on October 5, the complainant was on duty as a cashier at November Property Limited inside Sangster International Airport when the accused went there.

He allegedly asked her to change the note into Jamaican currency. However, when the money was inspected it was discovered that it was counterfeit, and the complainant called the police.

When he was accosted, Gibson told the police that he got the money at the airport in Bahamas and had no idea it was fake.

He was granted $20,000 bail with surety under the condition that he reports to the Oracabessa police on Mondays.

He returns to court on November 26. In the meantime, the court is still awaiting a report to confirm that the note is indeed counterfeit, to complete the case file.