A man from Pembroke Dock who took a car that he was repairing without the owner's consent has been fined by Haverfordwest magistrates.

Twenty-two-year-old Liam Alex Beard, of Albany Street, pleaded guilty to charges of taking a motor vehicle without the owner's consent and driving a vehicle without a validated driver's licence or insurance, when he appeared before the court on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Ellie Morgan told magistrates that police had received an anonymous tip on Tuesday, September 11, that Mr. Beard had taken the Rover 25 vehicle in question and that he was driving without a licence and insurance.

When officers located the vehicle on Albany Street and stopped the car, the defendant confirmed that all he had was a provisional licence and he also accepted that he didn't have the permission of the vehicle's owner to drive it.

Mr. Beard explained that he had the keys to the vehicle as he had been carrying out some work on the car as he was hoping to purchase it.

His solicitor Jonathan Webb said that this was a case where the defendant had found himself in more trouble than need be because he didn't have a solicitor representing him before he gave an interview to police and has lost his clean character status in doing so.

Mr. Webb explained that his client was proposing to buy the vehicle and the person he was purchasing it from was now his girlfriend, who had stated at the time that she did not want to give a statement to police and did not support police action against Mr. Beard.

Magistrates fined Mr. Beard £75 for taking the vehicle without consent and £110 for having no insurance.

He was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge. He was also given six penalty points.