Tegwin Zeth Deacon (36) appeared in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on seven counts of fraud for tendering fake money to victims, reckless and negligent driving, driving without a licence and possession of suspected stolen property. Deacon’s co-accused, Storm Britz (24) has not yet applied for bail.
Deacon and Britz were arrested on 8 January during a routine roadblock near Diepsloot. Diepsloot police discovered R14 000 worth of fake money in their car and more uncut fake R100 notes on A4 and A5 sheets of paper in their Lanseria guesthouse. Police also found laptops, printers, I-phone 5 cellphones, a Macbook and an Apple TV at their accomodation.
The couple had used fake money to acquire electronic items valued at R25 000 from unsuspecting civilians. Two of the cases happened in the Fourways area, where the couple paid for a tank of petrol with fake money and made contact with a resident via an online trade portal, before meeting the resident at the McDonalds on Witkoppen Road, and paying with fake money for an electronic item he was selling.
In her ruling the magistrate stated that Deacon wa a danger to the economy and the community. The magistrate decided that nothing was tying Deacon to a particular geographical area, therefore if he was released on bail there would be a possibility that he would evade trial.
The case has been postponed until 27 March.
Read our previous story, Couple’s counterfeiting operation busted.
