who appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Keith Edward Peniston of Long Range Hill, Devonshire, pleaded guilty to asking a passer-by for money.

Police prosecutor Sgt. Kenrick James said officers spotted Peniston at the junction of Washington Lane and Reid Street extending his hand towards a woman walking along the road.

They heard him say: "Excuse me, could you spare me some change to get some coffee,'' but the woman ignored the request and walked away.

Yesterday, Peniston said the woman was his friend and had given him money for coffee before.

"You just can't go around acting like that. We don't like begging on the streets, especially in Hamilton,'' Senior Magistrate the Wor. William Francis said before giving Peniston a 12-month conditional discharge.

DRUG OFFENDER FINED $950 CTS Drug offender fined $950 Possession of more than 10 grams of cannabis earned a Pembroke man a hefty fine yesterday in Magistrates' Court.

The 25-year-old admitted the offence but said the cannabis was for his own use.

Police officers searched Troy Robert Harris on June 4 following a reported handbag snatching outside Patsy's Place restaurant on St. John's Road, Pembroke.

A multi-coloured belt in his possession contained $511 in cash and two bags of cannabis weighing 10 grams and one gram respectively, Police prosecutor Sgt.

Kenrick James said.

Harris told them the drugs were his but not for supply.

He was fined $950 by Senior Magistrate, the Wor. William Francis.

Before leaving the court Harris requested the return of his confiscated cash to pay the fine.

Because no charges relating to the money were brought before the court, Mr.

Francis told him the Police had no grounds to hold on to it.

CAR WASHER TOOK VEHICLE FOR A SPIN CTS Car washer took vehicle for a spin A 30-year-old Sandys Parish man who admitted driving away a woman's car without her permission was fined $250.

Joseph Moniz Lima of Sound View Road, Somerset, pleaded guilty.

Police prosecutor Sgt. Earl Kirby said the car's owner had left the vehicle to be washed and cleaned by a man in the Par-la-Ville parking lot on November 15.

But Lima, who also cleans cars, took the vehicle for a drive. The woman reported it missing and Police spotted Lima in the car behind the Collector's Hill Apothecary.

Duty counsel Ms Clare Hatcher said that Lima never intended to steal the car which was returned to the owner without any damage.

"He wants to compensate her for the gas that was used,''she said.

Before fining Lima $250, Senior Magistrate the Wor. Will Francis said: to Lima: "There are two issues I want you to think about,'' Mr. Francis said.

"You took this car without permission, and you were drunk. If you had been involved in an accident the owner's insurance would not have covered the other person.''