Man wore NHS uniform as part of plan to steal bike

SEEMINGLY “a decent guy” claimed he was in Burscough when he lured the owner of an expensive motorbike to a fake address and attacked him.

- BY ADAM EVERETT

Anthony Price donned an NHS uniform in order to enact a devious scheme which he hatched on eBay.

Price posed as a legitimate buyer for an expensive motorbike which he had seen listed for sale on the online auction site.

He then lured the owner to a fake address, having given a false name and claimed to be a hospital worker in order to gain his trust, before “taking his opportunity to betray him” by assaulting him and stealing the vehicle.

The robbery came less than three months after his release from prison as he “succumbed to the desire for money”.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Simon Trafford was contacted by Price, using the pseudonym David, on March 3 this year with regards to a Kawasaki X500 motorcycle which he had listed for sale on eBay.

Price, 38, of Hale Drive in Speke, claimed that he wished to purchase the bike, which was valued at £7,000 and had also been advertised on Facebook Marketplace, and was sent pictures and videos of the vehicles as a result.

Jonathan Keane, prosecuting, described how the two men subsequently agreed to meet on Rushton Close in Burtonwood, Warrington, where Price had falsely claimed to live, on March 10. Mr Trafford arrived at the address and removed the motorbike from his van, got onto the back of it and turned on the ignition in order to give a demonstration to the potential buyer.

But Price then pushed him off the motorcycle and rode off on the vehicle while his victim was sprawled on the ground.