East Yorkshire motorbike showroom owner admits £33,000 fraud

A Wakefield motorbike dealership owner has avoided jail after admitting 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 went into administration in 2018.

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

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

Prosecutor Julia Smart KC told the court Bleasby collected motorbikes from manufacturers such as Honda and Kawasaki from customers’ homes and told them he would take a commission of 10% of the sale price.

However, some of the bike owners went months before hearing anything from the dealership and a few of them had to visit the showroom to inquire about the money they were going to receive.

Bleasby and his wife offered “various excuses” to the nine victims as to why the payments had not been processed.

After a man visited the dealership, his debit card was credited with the amount due from the sale of his motorcycle, but the amount was later taken from his account and never refunded.

Another victim was told the bike she had given to Bleasby was “in the workshop” after it had already been sold to someone else.

Two others were offered gift vouchers instead of money and one was told Bleasby could not deal with his complaint because he suffered 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 in the first place and that after Bleasby called in administrators to liquidate East Yorkshire Motorcycle World, the owner took possession of the premises and was unable to sell stock to pay creditors.

He added that his client did not live an “extravagant lifestyle” and did not make money from the business.

Bleasby, of Wilson Drive in Wakefield, has run other businesses since the crime and offered to pay compensation to the nine victims once the 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 property and disorder when sentencing him to 15 months in prison suspended for two years.

A compensation order was also issued by the court.

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