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Stealing battery from crashed bike costs man $500

A man who stole a battery from a wrecked bike in a bid to save money wound up with a $500 fine from a Magistrate yesterday.Leonard Wayne, 43, took the part worth $72.50 from the vehicle which was on Middle Road in Devonshire, near the offices of the US Consulate.Prosecutor Larissa Burgess told Magistrates’ Court that a member of the public saw him take it and reported it to a police officer who was on duty outside the Consulate.When the officer stopped Wayne, he found the battery on his bike, and arrested him.The owner of the bike, Gavin Collery, was contacted and reported that he had abandoned his bike after it was involved in an accident the previous day.Wayne, who works as a mason, has previous convictions for similar offences including stealing a bike licence plate in 1992. He pleaded guilty to theft.He told Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner: “I came past the bike and saw it lying on the sidewalk. It was spread across 15 feet with parts scattered across the sidewalk. I saw the condition it was in and I needed a battery to get my bike licensed so in a moment of foolishness I took the battery off the bike.”Mr Warner ordered him to pay the fine by July 28.