A teen who cursed and spat at a Police officer will spend 240 hours mopping Police floors and shining their boots.

Bryan Phipps, of Waterloo Lane, St. George's, has also been banned from the road for a year after pleading guilty to driving while impaired on Duke of Kent Street, St. George's on March 3 last year.

In Magistrates' Court yesterday Crown Counsel Graveney Bannister told how Phipps had ridden past Policemen on Duke of York Street and sworn at them.

They followed him and noticed he did not stop at a stop sign. When they warned him about his language he continued to swear at them.

He then claimed that Premier Jennifer Smith was his first cousin and that they should leave him alone.

Duty counsel Peter Farge said Phipps was only 16 and had never been in trouble before. Mr. Farge said: "He doesn't remember saying anything about the Premier - they are certainly not related."

During the exchange he spat in the face of one of the officers.

Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves said: "A man of 16 knows you can't spit in the face of Policemen and cuss them."

Phipps pleaded guilty to using offensive words and was fined $500.

He also admitting assaulting a Police officer by spitting at him.

Mr. Greaves said it was humiliating and dangerous for the officer because it could pass on disease. He sentenced Phipps to 240 hours community service with the Police.

The Magistrate said: "You can shine their boots, clean their floors, mop them - anything the Police want wiped."

He also fined Phipps $1,000 and banned him from the road for a year for the drink driving offence.

Mr. Greaves said: "I want to take a long look at you. If you mess up I will lock you up. I want to lock you up."

Crime doesn't pay

A man was told to give up his life of crime on Monday after a 40-year career in stealing.

Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves told Sinclair Fox, 53, who lives at the Salvation Army, that his life of crime had not done anything for him.

Fox pleaded guilty to stealing a leather jacket and a leather case of tools on March 7.

But Mr. Greaves looked at his thieving record, which went back to 1963, and asked him when it would all stop.

The Magistrate said: "You have been stealing from 1963 to 1999 and it didn't work. Can you imagine that?

"Do you have a house? Do you have a car? Do you have a big bank account? So, you have nothing.

"It's not working for you. Stealing has never worked for you and it will never work.

"You are old now. You are not going to get anything at all. You fellas have to learn to live a lawful life. This crime does not pay."

Fox was ordered to pay a $500 fine, or spend five months in prison.

Caught in possession

Two men were fined for drug possession in increased penalty zones in separate cases before Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves yesterday.

Garrett Morgan, 31, of Anchorage Street, St. George's was caught by Police with 0.25 of cannabis at Tribe Road Number Five, Paget on November 24 last year.

He pleaded guilty and was fined $1,000 after the court heard he had a string of drug possession offences.

Crown Counsel Graveney Bannister said Morgan had been less than the required 300 metre distance from a school, in this case Paget Primary, so Mr. Greaves fined him another $1,000.

And Mr. Greaves fined Leslie Wolffe, 58, of Orchard Grove, Pembroke $1,000 for possessing 0.01 gramme of cocaine after he was caught by Police in St. Monica's Road, Pembroke on November 27 last year.

He also attracted an additional fine of $1,000 because it was less than 300 metres from a school.