A spry criminal slipped out of handcuffs chaining him to another man, ran down the street and dived into Hamilton Harbour to escape Police yesterday.

But for an unknown reason the 20-year-old sheepishly swam back and was re-arrested by waiting officers a short time later.

And just moments before his bid for freedom, Dennis Leroy Lambert of Southampton told a packed Magistrates' Court he was too dangerous to let live.

"You guys better put me on execution, because I'm going to kill somebody,'' he told Senior Magistrate Will Francis.

"You think I'm joking. I ain't got nothing to lose,'' he added.

A Police spokesman said Lambert was able to slip out of the handcuffs because he was so "nimble and lean'' and officers had done everything they could to prevent the escape.

"There was no lapse of professionalism on the part of the Police officers concerned,'' he said.

Lambert was arrested on Friday afternoon and spent the weekend detained at Hamilton Police Station until his court appearance yesterday morning.

Police were taking him back to the station after his court appearance when he made his dash. After running down the Parliament Street hill and jumping into the harbour near the Surf Club he started swimming then returned to where Police were waiting.

The spokesman said if Lambert had continued swimming there was a Police boat in the water ready to respond.

It is understood he will likely be charged with escaping Police custody.

In court before the escape, Lambert pleaded guilty to unlawfully damaging a car, using a softball bat as an offensive weapon, using offensive words and threatening behaviour.

Junior Crown Counsel Veronica Gordon said Police found Lambert aggressively wielding a Louisville Slugger bat at his stepfather's Southampton residence at about 6 p.m. on Friday.

He had already caused $7,000 worth of damage to a parked car by smashing almost every window.

"It's going to take more than you f***ing Police to take me,'' he said before he was eventually restrained.

Yesterday Lambert told Mr. Francis he blamed his stepfather -- who he said kicked him out of his home at the age of ten -- for being put on a US stop list.

"I probably wouldn't have (had) to sell drugs to support myself or sleep in a bus shelter,'' he said.

Lambert had no previous convictions, but served community service for possessing cannabis with the intent to supply in 1997.

"You seem to be blaming everybody except yourself,'' Mr. Francis said.

He ordered Lambert be placed on remand until a report from probation services was updated.

In a separate court matter yesterday, Lambert pleaded guilty to speeding at 60 kilometres per hour. Mr. Francis said the offence could be dealt with by a $200 fine or 14 days in prison.

"Give me the 14 days,'' Lambert said.

He will next appear in court on February 24.

CRIME CRM