NASSAU-A magistrate on Thursday jailed a man for eight months after he admitted to buying a stolen motorbike.

Last month, police found Aaron Bethel, 22, riding the Honda CRF-125 bike that Benjamin Derbyshire reported stolen in February.

Mr Derbyshire made a complaint to police after the bike went missing from a trailer.

Bethel pleaded guilty to receiving at his arraignment before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans. He denied the alternative charge of stealing.

Bethel, of Forbes Street, insisted he thought his purchase was legitimate.

The prosecutor said that Bethel gave police a bill of sale dated January 2020, although Mr. Derbyshire reported the bike stolen one month later.

Bethel claimed that he took police to the seller, but that the person ran from police. However, the prosecutor denied this.

Magistrate Vogt-Evans said, “I hope this sentence serves as a warning to would-be offenders that receivers are just as culpable as the thief.”

Bethel’s prior convictions include possession of forged currency and drugs.