A 24-year-old Devonshire man was fined $600 for using offensive words and offensive behaviour.

Upland Street resident Michael Douglas pleaded guilty on Tuesday to both charges, but disputed some of the words attributed to him.

Magistrate Edward King fined him $350 for using offensive words and another $250 for offensive behaviour.

?Contrary to what some of you people have probably read and heard, this judge never told people that they could go out and cuss off Police officers,? Mr. King said.

?So as far as I am concerned he committed an offence. Don?t believe everything you read in the press in Bermuda... I said look at the context in which the f-word ? as you people like to call it ? is used.?

He added: ?We?ve got to stop burying our head in the sand. You go and do it and come in front of this desk and see what you?re going to get for cussing off a Police officer. You obviously didn?t mean to kiss him.?

The court heard from Crown counsel Cindy Clarke that Douglas had just been released from Police custody at 5.30 a.m. on Monday when he entered the Police station and began to use offensive words and behaviour.

Douglas was warned and began to walk north up Parliament Street, where several pedestrians were, she said.

?F*** all police,? Douglas said, before he was warned if he continued to swear he would be arrested. Douglas replied with a string of obscenities

On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to the charge.

The second charge was for using offensive behaviour on the same day and time when he put his middle finger up to a Police officer on the top floor of the Hamilton Police station.

Asked if he had anything to say for himself, Douglas told the court: ?This is the first time I?ve been caught in two years ? I just need leniency and mercy.?