A man has admitted stealing two motorcycles from a street in Aberdeen.
Kevin Smith, 53, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court facing charges that he removed an Orange Buell Ulysses motorbike and a Black Buell Firebolt motorcycle from a street in Torry, Aberdeen.
The premium motorbikes were estimated to be worth around £3,000 each.
Smith said he assumed the bikes had been left “as scrap metal” when he took them.
The 53-year-old pleaded guilty to two charges of stealing the motorbikes from Walker Road on August 11 this year.
Accused told cops he thought motorcycles were ‘scrap’
Fiscal depute Jen Pritchard told the court that the owner of the bikes lives in Edinburgh but had another property in Torry and due to Covid-19 restrictions had not been back.
She said he had left both motorcycles on Walker Road and secured them with “Kryptonite shackles” and had last seen the bikes in July 2021.
Ms Pritchard added that on around August 10, the owner was made aware that Aberdeen City Council had placed an abandonment notice on both of the motorbikes, giving him until August 17 to remove them.
“On the evening of August 11 he received a phone call from a friend advising that the bikes were gone”, she said.
“Enquiries with Aberdeen City Council confirmed that they had not removed the bikes and police were contacted.
“The police made enquiries using CCTV, which showed that 5.40pm a motor vehicle attended at the locus and two males exited the vehicle – one of which was identified as the accused.
“The males loaded the two motorbikes into the rear of their vehicle before driving off.
“The motor vehicle in question was owned by the accused.”
Ms Pritchard told the court that police then went to Smith’s address with a search warrant and the motorbikes were recovered.
Smith was charged with the theft and under caution stated: “Sorry, I thought they were scrap.”
‘This is not something he is going to repeat’
Defence agent Debbie Ginniver told the court that Smith had considered the bikes “fair game” due to being left on the street.
She added: “He had been aware that the bikes had been left for some time and when he saw the abandonment notice on there he thought he would be able to take them.
“He accepts that it was a completely foolish mistake and when police officers attended he cooperated fully.
“This is not something he is going to repeat and he apologises to the court and the owner of the bikes.”
Sheriff Hodge told Smith that “at his age” he should “probably know better than helping yourself to very large items without making a few enquiries”.
She sentenced Smith, of Mansefield Road, Aberdeen, to a 12-month community payback order and ordered him to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work.
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