Kikrby motorbike thief will serve his sentence while in prison for separate offences

Alex Swain damaged a garden fence and gate when he took the black Yamaha bike from an address on Welbeck Street, on March 7, said prosecutor Nicole Baugham.

The bike was never recovered and the court was told Swain, aged 23, has 14 previous convictions for 55 offences, 17 of which are for dishonesty.

He is currently serving a nine-month prison sentence for dangerous driving and driving without insurance, which was imposed in June.

Mark Stocks, mitigating, said: "Had they been dealt with in isolation these offences wouldn't have attracted a custodial sentence.

"He doesn't live very far from where the offence was committed. It was opportunistic."

Swain, currently of HMP Ranby, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and taking a vehicle without the owner's consent, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Tuesday by video-link.

District judge Gillian Young told him: "These offences are now five months old. I don't think it would have been dealt with separately at the time.

"It's not clear to me why it's taken so long for this case to get to court or why there is no information about compensation."

She imposed a six week sentence for the theft plus four weeks for the damage, but they will be served at the same time as Swain's present sentence.

She ordered him to pay £150 to the bike's owner and £50 to the owner of the gate and the fence.