yesterday cost a Sandys Parish man $500 and a year-long ban from driving.

And although he pleaded guilty, Randolph Simmons maintained he was not drunk, saying: "I did not feel intoxicated at the time. My brake shoes were worn down.'' But Senior Magistrate Will Francis told Simmons: "Alcohol is different.

Everybody can see you are drunk but you say you are walking fine.'' Crown counsel Caitlin Garland said Simmons, of Woodlawn Road, was driving erratically east on Church Street at 5.40 a.m. on September 19.

When Police stopped him, Simmons, 35, got out of his car but failed to properly secure the hand brake.

Ms Garland said Simmons' car rolled back into the Police car, causing minor damage.

Police noted he was unsteady on his feet, his eyes were glazed, and his breath smelled strongly of alcohol.

After telling Police he had "a few'' Simmons submitted to a breath sample and was found to have 304 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

Yesterday Mr. Francis told Simmons: "Well, you know your reading was extremely high.'' WANTED: JUDGES AND MAGISTRATES CTS Wanted: Judges and magistrates Bermuda's courts appear to be suffering an exodus this year.

Two magistrates and one Supreme Court justice have left their posts in the last nine months.

Yesterday a spokesman for Magistrates' Court confirmed that a recent advertisement in the Bermuda Sun for a new magistrate was to replace former Magistrate Arthur Hodgson.

Mr. Hodgson left the bench after almost three years on August 1 to re-enter politics.

And Mr. Hodgson's resignation came only months after the February departure of Magistrate Cheryl Mapp.

It took four months before finally Carlisle Greaves of Barbados was appointed to replace her.

At the Supreme Court level, Chief Justice Austin Ward suggested during the last arraignment session that "staffing difficulties'' may soon arise because of the August resignation of Justice Richard Ground.

And with the possibility of a new drugs court being established, Bermuda may once again be forced to seek out another magistrate.

CUP MATCH CANNABIS COSTS HANSEY CTS Cup Match cannabis costs Hansey Confessing to buying a 32 gram bag of cannabis saved a Pembroke man from more serious charges on Thursday.

And Calvin Hansey will pay a $1,000 fine -- the maximum -- for possession after his lawyer, Archibald Warner, said Hansey wanted to apologise and did not want to waste the court's time.

Senior Magistrate Will Francis heard that Hansey was arrested after he dropped a small plastic bag containing plant material on Court Street at 5.50 p.m. on July 29.

Crown counsel Caitlin Garland said Hansey, 23, of Cherry Hill Road, told Police he had just bought cannabis.

In mitigation, Mr. Warner said: "I respectfully suggest that at a very early stage he told Police he bought it for Cup Match -- he was cooperative. You will note he is charged with simple possession.'' "You and I know he is very lucky for that amount,'' Mr. Francis said. "I will fine him the maximum, though.'' VISITOR'S ANNIVERSARY GOES WRONG CTS Visitor's anniversary goes wrong Having four grams of cannabis in his room on the Zenith has cost an IBM engineer $400 and a brush with the law.

Arthur John Mallegot's first wedding anniversary was broken up when he disembarked from the cruise ship at Number One Shed on 11.40 p.m. on October 5.

Crown counsel Caitlin Garland told Senior Magistrate Will Francis on Wdnesday that he was searched and a hand rolled cigarette was found in his backpack.

Mallegot, 25, of Mahopac, New York, was escorted to his cabin and presented Customs officers with two zip lock bags with 4.09 grams of cannabis in them.

He told Police: "OK, I'm sorry. It's pot.'' Mallegot, a software engineer, told Mr. Francis: "I'm truly sorry, your worship. I brought my wife here on our one year anniversary.'' HAMILTON PARISH MAN FINED FOR PIPE CTS Hamilton Parish man fined for pipe A Hamilton Parish man was fined $200 in Magistrates' Court on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to possessing a crack pipe.

Swayne Gibbons, 30, who is unemployed, was searched by a Police Task Force at 12.25 a.m. on August 1 at the junction of Court and Angle Street.

Crown counsel Caitlin Garland said they saw Gibbons and another man in a hand to hand exchange and as they approached him he appeared to be nervous and tried to walk away.

Police found a yellow and silver pipe which was later found to have cocaine residue in it.

Gibbons, of Harlem Heights, told Police: "It's only a pipe. Can I have a break?'' He was given until October 23 to pay the fine.

STUDENT FINED FOR CARELESS DRIVING CTS Student fined for careless driving Overtaking on a sharp bend is risky at any time especially at night, a magistrate told a 17-year-old Pembroke youth.

The advice came after Senior Magistrate Will Francis fined Gary Adams $400 on Thursday for driving without due care and attention at 10 p.m. on Richmond Road on July 22.

Mr. Francis heard that Police were parked near the American International building when they saw Adams overtaking a horse and carriage on a sharp bend.

They saw Adams and an oncoming cycle rider swerve sharply to avoid a collision.

Shortly thereafter he was stopped and ticketed.

Adams told Police: "I saw no lights so I overtook the horse.'' Yesterday he told Mr. Francis he was in a rush to get to his friend's house because he was concerned the friend's parents might be upset at a late arrival.

Mr. Francis fined Adams $250 because he is a student and did not disqualify him from driving any motor vehicles.

UNFILLED VACANCY -- Former Puisne Judge Richard Ground's seat on the bench has not been filled.

Graphic file name: GROUND