A MAN was the only loser when he tried to cash a friend's cheque to settle a debt.

Blackburn magistrates heard that the cheque cashing shop had not lost out and Andrew Reid, the payee on the £180 cheque, had not lost out.

But David Thomas Whittaker was still owed £180 by Mr Reid and also incurred a £140 financial penalty when he appeared pleaded guilty to attempting to obtain £180 by deception.

Adrian Williams, defending, said it was an unusual case because if Whittaker had been charged with theft he would have pleaded not guilty because the £180 was legitimately his.

But he had to accept that claiming to be Andrew Reid amounted to an attempt to deceive King's Jewellers on Darwen Street.

"Mr Reid had borrowed the money off my client on the strength of this compensation cheque coming from a firm of solicitors," said Mr Williams.

"When it arrived Mr Reid was away and my client decided to get what was rightfully his.

"After giving the matter very careful thought we have to accept that the offence has been committed.

"If the cheque had been cashed there would have been no losers and everyone would have got what they were entitled to."

Whittaker pleaded guilty to attempting to obtain property by deception and was fined £75 with £65 costs.