He initially rejected the opportunity to refer the incident, but his attention was drawn to the big screen when the Indian section of the crowd reacted with howls of derision at the sight of Collingwood's bat short of the crease.
Though his banknotes were drawn by hand, bearing his own signature as chief cashier, the British government pressed charges under Section 18 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act, threatening to end his career with a forty-year prison sentence.