A father-of-three told a jury he was left in a mess after losing £84,000 in a "double your money" fake cash con.

Saghir Ahmed has not seen any of his money since handing it over to two men said to have convinced him they had a process for making counterfeit notes.

He told Burnley Crown Court that he had borrowed it but had not told any of the friends what he wanted it for and agreed he had been greedy and gullible.

Mr Ahmed, who said he had been jobless for 10 years, was on £200 a week benefits but helped out in his brother's off-licence in Daneshouse Road, Burnley.

But he refuted defence claims he had been running a counterfeiting con as a "little business" and that he was a "thoroughly dishonest" man.

Mr Ahmed was giving evidence on the second day of the trial of Eric Feyou, 32 and Bruno Pankui, 35, both from London, who deny conspiring to steal .

The prosecution has alleged that the duo, maybe with others, hatched a plot to steal large sums of money by defrauding gullible victims in the counterfeit trick.

The jury has heard allegations Mr Ahmed was talked into handing over £42,000 after being shown the chemical process, involving powder, liquid, tinfoil and ultraviolet lighting -- and then a man standing on the notes.

He claims he was shown the process in a room at the Travelodge, Burnley, after being approached by a total stranger called Hamad as he served in his brother's shop.

Mr Ahmed has told the court he later gave another £42,000 to a man calling himself Felix after he was told the process had gone wrong with the first batch of cash. But after he was asked for another £17,000, he then alerted police, and an undercover officer was brought in to pose as a property developer interested in investing in the scheme.

The jury heard Feyou and Pankui were arrested in a police "sting" after the officer was said to have been told the chemical process could produce £1million a day in notes.

The court has been told Mr Ahmed originally faced court proceedings accused of counterfeit allegations but the prosecution was dropped.

(Proceeding )