A man who was recently released from St. Brendan's Hospital and another man who simply walked out of the facility both appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves remanded both men in custody until reports could come from St. Brendan's Hospital.

Junius Caines, 33, pleaded guilty to stealing money from the Phoenix on October 24.

Crown counsel Koshea Scott told the court that on October 24 Caines had gone into the Phoenix Centre where he tried to buy some sweets. When the cashier opened the cash register Caines reached across and grabbed $200. The cashier tried to stop him, but he escaped by running through the shop and out of the back exit to Windsor Mall.

Caines was spotted on surveillance cameras and Police officers later picked him up on Elliott Street.

After he was arrested he told Police that he had spent $60 on drugs.

Ms Scott said: "He is the boldest and bravest of offenders."

In his defence Caines said: "I smoked some crack and I can't recall anything after that."

Caines explained to Mr. Greaves that he had been sent to St. Brendan's by a Supreme Court judge for another offence. "I was in the hospital, I wasn't supposed to be out," he said.

Sentencing was adjourned until further information details about his stay at the hospital is forthcoming.

Meanwhile, another man who had spent most of September in St. Brendan's stole two cheques just before he went into hospital.

David Aitken, 29, of Ridgeway Road in Pembroke pleaded guilty to stealing, forging, uttering a cheque and receiving money from the cheques under false pretences.

Crown counsel Wayne Caines told the court that between August 31 and September 4 Aitken stole cheques from Denise Kline. He then took the cheques to Bank of N.T. Butterfield, where he used his passport to cash them. The first cheque was for $500 and he attempted to cash the second cheque for $450.

Aitken returned to the same bank the following day with a cheque from the same lady for $450, but the teller realised that there was a problem with the cheque.

She contacted security and he was arrested.

Aitken said: "It is not all right what I had done. I was supposed to paint the house of the lady who I stole the cheques from. She said that I paint the house to make up for the money I stole."

Duty counsel Anthony Richardson said: "The defendant supports his mother so a period of incarceration is not warranted. I recommend a conditional discharge."

He added that had been a long time since Aitken had been in court.

Mr Greaves said: "He was in my court on October 7 this year for stealing a ladies purse on September 1. Now he reappears on another charge. He has a problem with women."

Aitken was remanded until November 4 and Caines until October 30.