$5,000 worth of stolen goods from a Hamilton store.

But 50-year-old George Palmer, of Cobb's Hill, claimed he found the bag and did not know what it contained.

Police prosecutor Sgt. Phil Taylor explained that around 3.55 p.m. on February 26, Police on patrol spotted Palmer carrying a heavy bag along Woodbourne Avenue, Pembroke.

The bag contained 34 clocks. Palmer insisted that he had found the bag near the Bermuda Bakery on Pitt's Bay Road.

He was arrested and on further investigation, the officers discovered that the clocks had been stolen from the Heritage House on Front Street between February 20 and 26. Heritage House owner Gregory Bluck told Police that 71 clocks, ten crystal necklaces, 31 porcelain chess pieces, 2 picture frames and a bottle of Bristol Cream Sherry totalling $5,610.50 had been swiped from the store.

Sgt. Taylor added that the remainder of the clocks were found in the basement of Palmer's girlfriend's home and the other items were discovered along Pitt's Bay Road.

In January, Palmer appeared in court for stealing liquor from the Bermuda Athletic Association and was handed a six month prison sentence suspended for two years after pleading guilty to the offence. Magistrate Ed King yesterday activated that sentence and passed out another six month prison term for the more recent offence. Both sentences are to run consecutively.

CLEANER ADMITS STEALING FROM SCHOOL CTS Cleaner admits stealing from school A cleaning company employee was caught red-handed stealing at the school he was hired to clean.

Steven Glen Dill, of Cedar Park, Devonshire, pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court to stealing $20 from St. George's Preparatory School.

Dill asked the court to take several similar offences into account. Prosecutor Sgt. Phil Taylor told Senior Magistrate Will Francis that staff at the school had become suspicious that Dill was stealing money from their desks.

Police were called, photocopies were taken of two $20 bills, and the money was placed in the secretary's desk in the early afternoon of January 30. The headmaster of the school checked the desk after 5.30 p.m. that day and Police were called, Sgt. Taylor said. Dill was arrested and found to have the money.

Dill told Mr. Francis: "At the time I was having a little problem with honesty. I was addicted to drugs.'' Mr. Francis fined Dill $100 and ordered $60 of that amount to be paid back to the school.

STUDENT, 22, FINED FOR DRIVING WHILE IMPAIRED CTS Student, 22, fined for driving while impaired A college student from St. George's was fined $1,350 for driving while impaired and driving while disqualified.

Paul Anthony Basden, 22, admitted the offences, which took place on two separate occasions last year.

Police prosecutor Sgt. Phil Taylor told Magistrates' Court that around 3.15 a.m. on June 7 last year, Police officers on patrol saw Basden driving against the flow of traffic on Bridge Street, St. George's -- a one-way road.

The officers stopped Basden on Anchorage Road and arrested him on suspicion of drunk driving. He was taken to Hamilton Police Station where a breath sample revealed him to have 112 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood -- the legal limit is 80 milligrammes.

Yesterday, Magistrate Ed King fined Basden $600 and disqualified him from driving all vehicles for the next 12 months.

Sgt. Taylor said Basden had been banned from driving for six months on June 19 last year after admitting speeding at 63 k.p.h. But he added the accused was caught driving while disqualified in St. George's around 8 p.m. on July 22.

Mr. King handed Basden a second fine of $750, but decided not to revoke his licence for a longer period.