A DJ who launched a GoFundMe page hours after appearing in court for stealing a £22,000 fishing boat in Fife has thousands of pounds in his bank account to start repaying his victim, it has emerged.
Martin Dickson, who is from Glastonbury but has links to Scotland, was back in the dock this week after being told last month by a sheriff he needed to find £10,000 to compensate the boat owner.
Dickson, 52, was caught on camera arriving in a Range Rover at Forth Cruising Club, Limekilns, and towing away the vessel in June 2021.
In an interview at the time, the boat owner said he and his young son discovered the 15ft Montauk Boston Whaler was missing when they arrived to take it on a fishing trip.
After reporting the theft to police, he was informed the boat had been found in nearby Broomhall Estate but the 116kG, £6,000 engine had been cut free and stolen.
Dickson, who lives in a converted bus which he uses to perform drum and bass events, previously pled guilty at Dunfermline Sheriff Court to stealing the boat on June 19 2021.
GoFundMe
At a sentencing hearing last month, the court heard invoices sent in by the boat owner for damage costs amounted to about £10,000.
Sheriff Susan Duff continued the case until this week for Dickson to investigate obtaining a bank loan for that amount to pay compensation.
Hours after the last court appearance in March, Dickson posted a link to a GoFundMe asking people to help raise £10,000, without mentioning the true nature of why he was in court.
Instead, he talked about his “green dnb (drum and bass) partybus” being “at risk of being taken away” from him and said the councils are shutting him down “very quickly” and the courts are “now starting to take action against me for all the unlicensed music events”.
He said he could be shut down permanently and lose his home and had been “in court today” and needed £10,000 or would spend time in jail.
The GoFundMe page shows £423 from 26 donations at the time of writing.
Payment plan
This week, defence lawyer, Ian Beatson, said Dickson has shown him he has £3,700 in the bank gained through savings and selling DJ equipment.
Mr Beatson said his client could also pay a further two payments of £500 per month.
The money could be transferred to the boat owner within the next three months.
The solicitor said his client did try to get a bank loan but had difficulties because he has no fixed address and is self-employed.
Sheriff Susan Duff told Dickson: “Rest assured, you are going to pay the £10,000 that man had to fork out because you stole his boat”.
The sheriff further deferred sentence until July 9 for the transfer of funds.
Pie, chips and beans
Prosecutor Isma Mukhtar told the court previously Dickson used a Range Rover to tow away the boat.
Mr Beatson said his client was “not thinking clearly” and had been abusing cocaine.
Within hours of this week’s latest court appearance, Dickson posted a Facebook message which read: “Quick in and out and heading back home from Scotland woop woop”.
He posted a further picture of some pies with the accompanying message: “Pie chips and beans for tea yummy for me and the lads later when I get back”.
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