The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 22-year-old man was sentenced to eight months in prison after he admitted to dishonestly receiving a stolen motorbike earlier this year.

Aaron Bethel appeared before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans after he was accused of stealing and receiving a $3,500 Honda motorcycle sometime between February 18 and 26.

While he denied the stealing charge, he pleaded guilty to one count of receiving and was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services for eight months.

The court heard the owner of the motorcycle reported someone had broken into his trailer sometime in late February.

Prosecutor Kendrick Bauld said in June, officers from the traffic division recovered the bike and arrested Bethel, who told them he purchased the bike from an unknown person. Sgt Bauld said Bethel was unable to provide documentation for the motorcycle.

Bethel told the magistrate he bought the bike from "someone who lived in his area". He said he took police to the house of the man he purchased it from, but the man "broke off running".

Bethel insisted he didn't steal the bike and said he showed police a receipt. The prosecution noted the receipt was dated in January and the motorcycle was reported stolen in February.

Magistrate Vogt-Evans told Bethel she hoped his sentence would "serve as a warning to would-be offenders" that receive stolen goods. "Receivers are just as culpable as a person convicted for stealing," she said.