A MAN who was involved passing dodgy £20 notes in Devizes in 2008 has been warned he could be facing jail.

Thomas McDonagh had been on the run for eight years after being part of a gang who were using the fake money across the south of England.

Now the 54-year-old, of Tottenham, north London, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pass counterfeit currency between the start or May and end of October 2008.

As the case was adjourned so a presentence report can be prepared McDonagh was told that he was facing the prospect of jail.

He is the last of a gang of three men, who are thought to have struck numerous times in the late summer of 2008, to face sentence.

The scam involved at them, and maybe others, all going into to a shop at the same time. The first would try and buy a cheap item with a fake £20 and if he succeeded the others would follow suit, but should one be caught out they would all leave.

During the operation they targeted Flaming Waynes burger van, which was outside Focus DIY in Hambledon Avenue, Devizes.

Two fake notes were passed by the conmen who got £4 worth of goods in exchange, along with change.

They pulled off a similar con at the Total Garage on London Road, Devizes, changing three notes for £6 worth of goods.

They were also caught after going to the Somerfield supermarket in Andover Road, Ludgershall, and Sainsbury's on Bath Road, Melksham,

The gang also struck at Somerfield in Amesbury and in Ilminster, Somerset, where they hit three stores.

Jodie Anderson, defending, said her client had handed himself in after being on the run, but during that time had also served a lengthy jail term for robbery.

Judge Tim Mousley QC, sitting at Swindon Crown Court on Tuesday, said "You have pleaded guilty to a serious offence, as you know.

"There was a time when these type of offences were dealt with by way of immediate imprisonment. That may be the case with this."

He adjourned the case to July 1 and released McDonagh on conditional bail until then.

The first member of the gang got six months while the other, who was on the run until 2014, got two years as he was on a suspended sentence for similar matters at the time.