Kye Nathan Lewis was jailed for 18 weeks at Swansea Magistrates Court for handling stolen goods
A MAN caught red-handed by police stripping down stolen motorbikes in his garden has been sent to jail.
Kye Nathan Lewis told officers he would "repair" bikes brought to his Morriston house by a friend — and get paid in cannabis.
Swansea Magistrates Court heard that when police forced the garden gate of Lewis' property they found the 23-year-old working on four stolen bikes — another man in the garden fled over the fence and remains at large.
Julie Sullivan said police had been alerted to what was going on after a victim of a motorbike theft was tipped-off on Facebook that the missing machine may be in the Morriston garden, and called the authorities.
Lewis, of Lon Claerwen, pleaded guilty to four counts of handling stolen goods on September 21 and to one of possessing cannabis when he appeared before justices.
The court heard two of the machines found by officers, a Suzuki 650cc and a Triumph Tiger, had been stolen the day before the swoop on the house — the Suzuki from Picton Arcade in Swansea city centre, and the Triumph from Sketty Road. A Yamaha machine they also found had been stolen from Malvern Terrace in Brynmill on September 17, while the fourth bike — another Yamaha — was from the Brighton area, though the original owner could not be found.
Lewis has convictions for 17 offences, some six of which are for theft and kindred matters, and was on a community order for handling a stolen XBox computer games console at the time of the new offences.
In his police interview Lewis said a friend would bring motorbikes to his house for him to look after and "repair", and would pay him in cannabis — the defendant said he smoked two £10 bags of cannabis a day and "maybe more" if he was feeling stressed.
He declined to name the person who had been helping him in the garden when the police came knocking.
Chris White, for Lewis, said his client had "taken solace in cannabis" and lapsed back into drug use following a family bereavement.
The solicitor said Lewis had "foolishly" gone along the motorbike plan when a friend asked him.
For each of the four handling charges Lewis was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison, all to run concurrently making a total of 18 weeks. No separate penalty was imposed for the drug possession, and the existing community order was revoked.
Read more at http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/jail-for-cannabis-mechanic-who-stripped-down-stolen-motorbikes/story-29906187-detail/story.html#zcCJh6BxzL76qMB6.99
No comments:
Post a Comment