A man who drunkenly “horsed about” on the back of a parked motorbike has been handed supervision and told to “stop making stupid decisions”.
Paul Pirie was spotted on CCTV rocking the parked motorbike back and forward and trying to move it on George Street in Aberdeen.
The 35-year-old, who had mixed medication with alcohol while watching football earlier that day, caused more than £250 worth of damage to the bike.
Its owner, meanwhile, was getting a haircut and left the bike parked on the road at around 5.30pm on May 7 this year, Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard.
Sheriff Margaret Hodge told Pirie he needed to act his age and start making wiser decisions.
‘Rocking it back and forth’
Fiscal depute Emma Petersen said: “The owner of the bike had parked it and attended at a barber shop for an appointment. He parked it facing the kerb.
“Police were then contacted in relation to reports of a man attempting to remove it and when they arrived they reviewed CCTV which showed the accused sitting astride the bike and attempting to move it.
“He was rocking it back and forth for a number of minutes trying to get it to move.”
Pirie admitted a charge of theft while his not guilty pleas were accepted to charges of drink-driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
He appeared in the dock from custody having been remanded in prison since the offence due to his “significant” list of previous convictions.
‘An element of horsing about’
Defence agent Iain Jane said the theft element of the charge came about because of his attempts to “drag” the vehicle.
“There’s an element of horsing about and almost pretending to drive the vehicle,” he added. “Mr Pirie had drunk alcohol and he doesn’t ordinarily do so.
“There has been substance misuse in relation to drugs and in particular valium in recent years. But on this occasion, he had been at a friend’s house, had been watching football and he decided to have alcohol.
“That mixed with his medication and had a significant impact on him and resulted in him acting in the way he did.
“The genuine intention to have taken the vehicle away was probably not there.”
‘Stop making stupid decisions’
Sheriff Margaret Hodge said: “It does seem to me on hearing about the offence that you committed that it’s the kind of thing a 17-year-old boy might become involved in.
“You seem to acknowledge yourself that it was a stupid decision.
“It’s time you stopped making stupid decisions.”
She handed Pirie, of Redcloak Drive, Stonehaven, a 12-month supervision order.
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