Yorkshire dealer sentenced for £33,000 fraud

A motorcycle dealer from Wakefield has pleaded guilty to nine cases of fraud after the collapse of his business in 2018. Martin Bleasby, 43, admitted the charges at Hull Crown Court and was sentenced to a 15-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Bleasby ran the East Coast Motorcycle World dealership in Hutton Cranswick near Driffield with his wife, Kelly Bleasby, before it went into administration six years ago. He’d been taking in bikes to sell on behalf of customers, selling the bikes, but keeping the proceeds. Nine different bike owners had their bikes sold by Bleasby without receiving any money.

As BDN reported in October 2018, owners went months before they heard anything from the dealership, and several of them had to visit the showroom to ask about their money. The dealer’s reputation began to unravel after one customer, Andrew Emms, who had placed two bikes for sale on commission, discovered one had been sold without him receiving anything. Emms managed to recover his second bike, but he still didn’t get the money owed from the first. After he had complained on social media, a confrontation at the dealership ensued on 29 August 2018, to which the police were called.

According to a BBC report, prosecuting counsel Julia Smart KC told the court that Bleasby collected motorcycles from customers’ homes, telling them he would take a 10% commission on any sale. The nine victims were given “different excuses” by Bleasby and his wife as to why the payments had not been processed. One man visited the dealership and had his debit card credited with the amount owed, but the sum was later removed from his account, and he was never reimbursed. Another victim was told his bike 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 because he was suffering from gout and a slipped disc.

Defending counsel 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 Coast Motorcycle World, the landlord had taken possession of the premises and he had been unable to sell stock to pay creditors.

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

Presiding Judge Tahir Khan described Bleasby as a “reformed character” after reading two positive testimonials and said he would disregard Bleasby’s previous convictions for handling stolen goods and public disorder when handing him a 15-month prison sentence suspended for two years. A compensation order was also made by the court.