A disgruntled mechanic illegally sold off a motorbike that did not belong to him to try and recoup cash he was owed, a court has heard.
Liam Caine appeared at Banff Sheriff Court on Wednesday for sentencing after earlier admitting to stealing a Yamaha DT125 from Portsoy and then selling it.
The court heard that Caine, 30, had grown frustrated about the bike, which he had been fixing up, and decided to cash in on it when he and its owner fell out.
Sheriff Robert McDonald, having deferred the case for reports at its last calling, this week fined Caine £520 for his crime.
‘Lost his patience’
Caine’s defence agent, Stuart Beveridge, explained to the court that his client “entirely accepts that he should not have sold the motorcycle”.
“He explained that he had the vehicle for a number of years, there’s a complicated rebuild, and because of lockdown he had struggled to get hold of parts,” he added.
“There was basically a falling out between him and the owner of the bike.”
He added that selling it was a way for Caine, of Maxwell Street, Girvan, to cover the expenses he had funnelled into its repair.
Mr Beveridge said: “He does very much regret his actions here.”
Fining him, Sheriff McDonald said the case was something that “might otherwise be regarded as a civil matter”.
He said: “Normally, I would not deal with something like this by way of a financial penalty.”
Caine will pay the penalty at the rate of £50 per month.