Man who bought drink on holiday with fake money is now doing 10 years in prison
A British man who bought drinks on holiday with fake money has been jailed for 10 years.
Oliver Andrews, from Bournemouth, went to a nightclub with his friend on the last night of his holiday in Morocco.
After police discovered he purchased drinks with counterfeit money, the pair were arrested the following morning.
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While already spending five months behind bars, they have both been convicted for possessing and distributing counterfeit money on holiday.
Andrews' partner, Alanna Cornick, has promised to appeal the decision and has described it as the 'worst possible outcome'.
The duo - who were accused of creating an organised criminal group and making counterfeit money - were acquitted of those charges.
Ms Cornick told the BBC: "I've been an absolute mess.
"I'm lost for words - I literally can't believe it.
"It's been the most emotional 24 hours ever.
"We've just got to stay hopeful and keep our fingers crossed."
Andrews claims he was unaware that the money was fake.
Prior to his sentencing, Ms Cornick said 'the condition that he's living in is just heartbreaking on a daily basis'.
"We just want the embassy to do their job and go and visit him, and make sure to check on his welfare," she said.
"I have had phone calls from him where he has been really really down and basically shared suicidal thoughts.
"It is the worst because there's nothing you can do."
Zoe, Mr Andrews' mother, said the family 'have given up trying to get anything done through the embassy'.
"As a family, we feel very let down and deserted by our own government," she added. "We, under no circumstances, want help with the legal case, just solely his welfare."
An FCDO spokesperson said at the time: "We are providing consular assistance to two British nationals arrested in Morocco and are in contact with the local authorities."
The pair are now waiting to be given a new court date when the case will be heard by a different judge.
Just last year, the largest seizure of fake cash in UK history was located by police.
61-year-old Andrew Ainsworth was handed a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence at Woolwich Crown Court after being found guilty of conspiring to produce counterfeit currency.
Ainsworth's gang used a specialist printing machine to churn out fake £20 notes, but investigators were alerted to their presence after the Bank of England discovered £1.8 million in fake cash entering circulation in January 2019.
Investigators were able to uncover a London-based industrial unit owned by one of the gang members after tracking materials used in the process of printing the counterfeit notes.
Anish Vij