Nine customers of a motorcycle business were “ripped off” and left out of pocket during a long-running £33,300 scam after they never received the promised money that they were expecting from the sale of their bikes.
Fraudster Martin Bleasby repeatedly made excuses to the sellers and he fobbed them off when they complained again and again that, despite the firm assurances they had been given that they would definitely get their money, it never materialised. He and his wife had arranged to sell motorcycles on behalf of customers and to give them the proceeds of the sales, less commission, but the business suddenly hit financial problems and abruptly closed, Hull Crown Court heard.
Bleasby, 43, of Wilson Drive, Cottingham, admitted nine offences of fraud dating back to about 2018. He had been due to face a trial but he changed his pleas to guilty after the judge gave an indication that he would not be jailed. His wife, Kelly Bleasby, 44, denied fraud and the charges against her were dropped.
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Ayesha Smart, prosecuting, said that, at the time, the couple ran a company called East Coast Motorcycle World from a showroom at Hutton Cranswick, near Driffield, and they sold motorcycles and accessories as well as selling second-hand bikes on behalf of private customers. They charged a commission when the sale was completed.
In August 2018, the business closed and numerous complaints arose about the non-payment of money that was owed from the supposed sale of motorcycles for customers.
Sums of money had been agreed with the sellers for the sales of their motorcycles but the customers did not receive the money despite them repeatedly chasing up the company for payment. Often, the sellers heard nothing at all and promises of payment came to nothing and repeated excuses were made. In one case, a cheque bounced.
Nine sellers had lost out and the total fraud was £33,375 over a sustained period of time. During police interview, Martin Bleasby made no comment. He had convictions for three previous offences between 2003 and 2006, including handling stolen goods and public disorder.
Alasdair Campbell, mitigating, said that, although there was a large number of victims, the business had many hundreds of customers at the time. “This is not a case where the business was fraudulent from the outset and there was a deliberate intent to rip customers off,” said Mr Campbell.
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There was a “background to how this sorry situation came about” but it was not the result of poor business management but “other matters which came to pass”. The business failed but Bleasby himself brought administrators in.
“He called in administrators and he was advised not to pay the landlord, who then took possession of the property and all the stock,” said Mr Campbell.
“He has lost an awful lot of stock, which could have been used to pay creditors. He hasn’t taken a significant amount out of this business at all. He and his wife put an awful lot into the business.”
They did not live an extravagant lifestyle. The business failure had a profound effect upon Bleasby and his family. “He has turned his life around by engaging in other businesses, so he can pay compensation,” added Mr Campbell. “It will be paid.”
Judge Tahir Khan KC told Bleasby: “The offences actually came about during the course of you and your wife having a second-hand bikes business. It’s clear that, in 2018, possibly earlier, things began to go wrong and customers, who had brought their bikes to your business to be sold on, were finding that sale proceeds were not being passed on to them.
“It’s clear to me that this wasn’t an attempt by you and your wife to make money by fraud but the end result was that a number of people, who were expecting to have money paid to them, did not get their money.
“This wasn’t one of those schemes which was fraudulent from the outset and, in fact, there was evidence that you had endeavoured to do things properly. It was you who brought administrators in to the business and I am satisfied that you lost money as a result of the failures that you were dealing with.”
Bleasby was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence, with no other requirements. A compensation order will be made once the final figure for money still owed is agreed. He will have 60 days to pay it.
“I expect you to do everything you can to make sure that these people who have lost out are reimbursed,” said Judge Khan.
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
