entering five churches between March 8 and March 19, 1999. The unemployed man also admitted stealing a vodka bottle from Hamilton MarketPlace on March 8.

Dill, of Long Bay Lane, made a statement to the court in which he expressed remorse to his family and the churches involved and he pledged to beat his drug habit. Chief Justice Ward then said: My first reaction was that it needed a sentence of prison but breaking into a church is slightly different from breaking into a home and I want to consider whether probation will be good for you. Dill's previous convictions for breaking and entering date back to 1993 for which he had been given sentences totalling 27 years, $1,600 in fines and 175 hours community service. His defence counsel, Miss Elizabeth Christopher, told the Supreme Court yesterday that Dill had picked on the churches rather than homes because there was less risk of a confrontation with a person which could result in a more severe charge of robbery rather than theft. Ms Christopher said: My client has shown a great deal of remorse. He not only admitted the offences but he also made confessions when there was no evidence pointing to him. The court heard that Dill had successfully attended drug treatment for 18 months before a relapse had sent him on a crime spree in March 1999. This included breaking into St Paul's Church in Court Street, Pembroke overnight on March 8 when he took a microwave oven and cash. On March 14 he broke into the Salvation Army church in Cambridge Road, Sandys and stole a stereo system for the pulpit. A day later he got into St Andrew's Presbytarian Church in Church Street, Pembroke but left empty handed after the alarm went off. Overnight on March 16 he broke into Faith Tabernacle Church in Malabar Road, Sandys but again left with nothing. And breaking into the New Testament Church of God in Sandys proved equally fruitless on March 19. Judge Ward said he would pass sentence at 3pm today.