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A motorcycle dealership owner from Wakefield has avoided prison after he admitted defrauding customers out of £33,000.

Martin Bleasby, 43, ran East Yorkshire Motorcycle World in Hutton Cranswick, near Driffield, with his wife until the company entered administration in 2018.

Hull Crown Court heard on Wednesday that the businessman sold used motorbikes on behalf of nine owners who never received any of the profits.

He pleaded guilty to nine counts of fraud after Judge Tahir Khan advised him he would suspend a custodial sentence if a trial was averted.

'Different excuses'

Prosecuting counsel Julia Smart KC told the court that Bleasby collected motorcycles by manufacturers such as Honda and Kawasaki from customers' homes and told them he would take a 10% commission from the onward sale price.

However, some of the bikes' owners went months before they heard anything from the dealership, and several of them had to visit the showroom to ask about the money they were due to receive.

The nine victims were given "different excuses" by Bleasby and his wife as to why the payments had not been processed.

After one man visited the dealership, his debit card was credited with the amount owed from the sale of his motorcycle, but the sum was later removed from his account and he was never reimbursed.

Another victim was told the bike he had handed to Bleasby was "in the workshop" after it had already been sold to someone else.

Two others were offered gift vouchers in lieu of money and one was told that Bleasby was unable to deal with his complaint as he was suffering from gout and a slipped disc.

Bleasby was arrested in 2019 and gave "no comment" answers during a police interview.

Defending, Andrew Campbell KC told the court that there was "no deliberate intent" to commit fraud from the outset, and that after Bleasby had called in administrators to liquidate East Yorkshire Motorcycle World, the landlord had taken possession of the premises and he had been unable to sell stock to pay creditors.

He added that his client did not live an "extravagant lifestyle" and had not taken money out of the business.

Bleasby, of Wilson Drive in Wakefield, has been running other businesses since the offending and offered to pay compensation to the nine victims once a figure was finalised.

Judge Khan described Bleasby as a "reformed character" after reading two positive testimonials, and said he would disregard "old" convictions for handling stolen goods and disorder when handing him a 15-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

A compensation order was also made by the court.

East Yorkshire Motorcycle World held meets and events for bikers and had a cafe.

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