Peter Whipp took stolen motorbike bought on Facebook for joy ride

Despite never having held a licence, a man managed to buy a stolen black Kawasaki motorbike off Facebook Marketplace and take it for a spin.

Despite never having held a licence, a Southern Highlands local bought a stolen motorbike from Facebook Marketplace and took it for a spin.

Peter Kenneth Whipp, 38, appeared via video link in Moss Vale Local Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to eight charges related to driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle with altered number plates which police suspected of being stolen. The Welby local was also busted for driving without a licence and for having a foldable knife with him.

The court heard Whipp was only three days into a community corrections order for drug possession when police saw him travelling through Bowral on a motorbike at around 4.30pm on April 24.

Peter Kenneth Whipp was found guilty of taking a stolen bike for a joy ride while on parole. Picture: Facebook

Court documents reveal he tried to evade police on the black Kawasaki motorbike, ducking through streets before making a sharp turn into a carport. Police said when they arrived he was hiding behind a cupboard.

Police recognised Whipp from previous interactions and asked for his driver’s licence, which the court heard he has never held. Police then tested the Welby man for alcohol and drugs, and court documents reveal he tested positive for methamphetamine.

The court heard Whipp had bought the bike on Facebook Marketplace from a south coast man for $3000 but knew it was worth double that amount. When asked why he thought the bike was so discounted, he told police the engine had a “knock”.

Whipp told police he had no idea the bike had been stolen from an Oran Park address in January 2020, but did admit to painting the bike and obscuring the vehicle identification number.

Court documents reveal the bike also had fake car number plates which had been cut in half and painted to look like a legitimate NSW motorbike plate.

Court documents reveal police also discovered a knife in the toolbox attached to the bike.

Peter Kenneth Whipp appeared at Moss Vale Local Court in his prison greens. Picture: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

Police were unequivocal in their assessment of Whipp’s criminal history.

“No bail condition could mitigate the risk to the community that the accused poses or any condition that would prevent his risk of reoffending,” police facts state.

Magistrate Mark Douglass told the court his main concern was the safety of the community.

“I’m concerned about him being on the roads,” he said.

“He didn’t have a licence and got back on the roads.”

He sentenced Whipp to seven months in prison with a non-parole period of four months and as well as an 18-month community corrections order for the breach of his previous order. He also ordered Whipp to undertake mental health treatment as directed, continue with rehabilitation, abstain from drugs, and not drive for a full year.