A man who lent convicted murderer Aaron Carlino the boat he used to dump the body of his underworld mentor at sea has been fined.
Thomas Christopher Mailey initially lied to police when questioned about the loan, but one-and-a-half hours into the interview, he exercised his right to remain silent.
About three weeks before Carlino's trial, Mailey admitted he had been untruthful.
West Australian District Court judge Allan Fenbury said Mailey panicked when he realised the boat had been used to dispose of the body of 56-year-old Stephen Cookson, who was shot twice in the head by Carlino in December 2012.
"There is no evidence you made the connection," Judge Fenbury said in handing down his sentence on Monday.
"There is a fine line between knowledge and suspicion."
He said Mailey's lying had been focused on self-preservation.
Mailey might not have reacted the way he did if police had framed their questions differently and put his mind at ease, Judge Fenbury said.
He said the circumstances of the case were unusual and required a degree of mercy in sentencing.
Mailey was fined $1500 for attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Carlino, whose crime was discovered after a girl found Mr Cookson's plastic-wrapped head on a Rottnest Island beach, had been friends with Mailey and used to join him on the boat for fishing trips.
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