A JUDGE ordered a reward for a 'valiant' Gloucester shop manager who was injured as he chased and caught fleeing fraudster Petru Novac.

Bath-based Novac, 25, an illegal immigrant from Moldavia, had a fake Lithuanian passport with him when he tried to cash a fake cheque for £1,105 at Cash Generators in Northgate Street, Gloucester.

Staff smelt a rat and when Novac, of Darling Road, Bath, saw that they had called police to the store he tried to flee.

But store manager Julian Stocker, of Hucclecote, caught Novac, even though he slammed a door on his hand.

Novac was jailed for a year after he admitted possessing a false identity document, fraud, and assaulting Mr Stocker on April 2.

Judge Martin Picton commended Mr Stocker's public spirited actions, saying "He made a valiant attempt, took risks, got hurt and is to be commended for that."

He ordered that Mr Stocker should be paid a £50 reward by the county High Sheriff.

Derek Ryder, prosecuting, had told the court that Novac had a Blue Arrow cheque which he tried to cash. This made staff suspicious because of problems with Blue Arrow cheques.

Staff contacted police and when they pulled up Novac tried to run.

Mr Stocker, 29, saw Novak opening the fire door and got hold of him. As he did so, Novac continued through into the car park. "With his right hand and arm he slammed the door back at me, catching my left hand between door and frame," said Mr Stocker.

"I gave chase and tripped him up. I took hold of him again and the police arrived. I had a cut to the knuckle."

Defence barrister Terence Davis described the assault on Mr Stocker as 'very minor' and reckless rather than deliberate.

Novac, who will be deported after his sentence, wants to return because his mother is ill.

A spokesperson from Cash Generator said: "As a business, we could be perceived as being particularly vulnerable to scams of this kind, but our stringent validation system ensures we are not exploited. Every Cash Generator employee receives extensive training and on a daily basis follows thorough checking procedures.

"We are proud of the team at the Gloucester store who managed to detect the counterfeit cheque. We remain committed to working closely with the police to identify these kinds of activities and will prosecute on all occasions."