A 16-year-old student pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court yesterday to stealing a motorbike.

Marcus Stephens, of Angle Street, apologised for the crime.

Crown counsel Nicole Smith told the court that the bike's owner, Carlos Lima Jr., parked his orange V-50 motorcycle at City Hall around 2 p.m. on April 8. When the complainant returned an hour later, the bike had disappeared.

Police on duty in Hamilton around 3 p.m. observed a young man pushing an orange V-50 behind City Hall in the direction of Washington Street.

When they made their presence known, Stephens dropped the bike and ran down Washington Street to Dundonald Street, where he was apprehended.

The officers asked the CedarBridge Academy student why he was running.

He replied: "I was just running for the sake of running. I didn't steal no bike."

He later admitted the theft in a taped interview at Hamilton Police Station, telling officers he "was going to strip the bike for parts".

Stephens told the court yesterday: "I was wrong for taking the bike, I am sorry."

Senior Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo ordered a Social Inquiry Report. Stephens is to return to court for sentencing on June 7.