preliminary hearing in January on manslaughter charges in the death of a former Royal Gazette sub-editor.

Tony Bukhari opted for a long form preliminary inquiry on January 14 and 15 in Magistrates' Court into the death of his girlfriend Elizabeth Cadell.

Senior Magistrate Will Francis opted to handle his case with the agreement of Bukhari's lawyer Delroy Duncan.

Mr. Francis said he had handled the inquest into Ms Cadell's death and it might be easiest if Mr. Duncan, crown counsel Sandra Bacchus, and himself "all just changed hats''.

Ms Cadell, who was originally from the UK, was found dead by Bukhari in their apartment on May 31 last year.

The case has drawn the attention of the British media. Bukhari is from Manchester, and his bail was continued at $5,000 and with the condition he surrender all travel documents.

The inquest has now been postponed until the outcome of the trial.

WOMAN DENIES DRUG CHARGES CTS Woman denies drug charges A Warwick woman has denied two charges of importing cannabis and possessing cannabis with intent to supply and will be tried in January.

Launie Shaun Porter-Ford denies importing 216 grams of cannabis into Bermuda on September 21 at the airport.

Porter-Ford, 27, of Hillview Road, Warwick, also denies possessing cannabis with intent to supply on the same date.

Senior Magistrate Will Francis set the trial for January 29 and ordered that bail be set at $2,000 with a surety in like amount.

MAN TOLD TO WATCH HIS TEMPER CTS Man told to watch his temper A nightclub doorman has been warned to "keep a brake on his temper'' after punching a man in the face.

John Thomas Paynter, 28, of Middle Road, Southampton, was this week given a three month suspended sentence after being found guilty of assaulting his boss Collins Smith in the Swinging Doors club on Court Street last January.

Paynter, who has a string of previous convictions for violent offences and was sent to prison for four months for assaulting a woman two years ago, denied the charge in court, even though he had initially admitted punching Mr. Smith when first questioned about the incident by detectives the day after the assault.

But at his trial this week Senior Magistrate Will Francis was reluctant to send Paynter to prison because he believed he was under stress having lost his job.

Giving evidence Mr. Smith, from West Park Lane, Pembroke, said that he met up with the accused in the club and began having an argument about a mobile telephone. The pair then walked to one of the bars in the club and continued their conversation, which became heated.

"I walked out of the room and Thomas was behind me and my wife was behind him and I then felt this sudden blow to my face,'' Mr. Smith said.

"The blow came from behind me and there was no one else present. We then turned and faced each other and wrestled to the ground, although people in the club quickly separated us. I had a busted lip and bruising around my eye.'' Mr. Smith's wife, Tanya, who witnessed that attack, confirmed that Paynter had swung at her husband from behind.

Representing himself Paynter explained to Mr. Francis that he was upset because he had just lost his job.

"I ain't got nothing against Collins,'' he said.

"Things just got out of control. I was under pressure because the job had come to an end. It didn't have to go that far.'' Finding Paynter guilty Mr.. Francis said: "This is a very clear matter and the accused hit the complainant as he was walking away from him. There's no defence and the accused is guilty as charged.

"But I accept that this was an exploding of temper by you -- it seems that you lose your temper when you're upset.

"But there's going to be other times when things are going to get you upset but you have got to learn to control yourself.'' INQUIRY ORDERED FOR DRUG MAN CTS Inquiry ordered for drug man A Hamilton Parish man will be sentenced after a Magistrate ordered a social inquiry report to see if the man was serious about beating a drug habit.

Brian Flemming must return to court on November 18 after he told Senior Magistrate Will Francis that he was in the FOCUS drug treatment programme and had a steady part-time job on weekends.

Crown counsel Charmaine Smith said Flemming, 40, of My Lord's Bay, was arrested by Police on the verandah of an abandoned building on Angle Street at 2.45 a.m. on May 23.

Flemming appeared nervous when Police approached him and put an object in his hand and raised it above their heads.

After Police were able to pull a still hot and smoking homemade pipe out of his hand, he said: "Give me a break.'' The pipe was later examined by the Government Analyst and found to have traces of crack cocaine inside it.

Mr. Francis also heard that Flemming had been sentenced to a 50 day prison term after asking in June that all of his outstanding offences be dealt with.

Duty counsel Elizabeth Christopher said the May 23 incident was not dealt with then because the analyst's report had not been ready.

She added: "It's because of that I ask for conditional discharge or suspended sentence. He is trying to stop.'' Mr. Francis ordered the social inquiry report and said: "If they find you are really serious then I will try and help you. You will need a lot of help, you understand?'' REPEAT OFFENDER SENT TO PRISON CTS Repeat offender sent to prison A repeat offender with a 33-year-old criminal record was sentenced to four years in prison.

Kingsley Eugene Burgess, 46, of no fixed abode, appeared in Supreme Court without legal representation and pleaded guilty to two charges of housebreaking and one charge of schoolbreaking.

Crown counsel Patrick Doherty told the court that Burgess broke into a home on Juniper Hill, Devonshire and a Ferrar's Lane, Pembroke home in July and August and made off with $330 in cash and coins, a $400 pocket watch and $9,433 worth of jewellery and stereo equipment.

Lastly, on August 26, Burgess removed a variety of musical instruments valued at $1,900 from the music room of Saltus Senior School in Pembroke.

Only $1,500 of the total $11,630 worth of goods was recovered by Police.

The court also heard of Burgess' numerous previous convictions and prison sentences for offences including rape, breaking and entering, threatening words, and trespassing.

He was last released from prison in August, 1997 after serving two years in prison.

But Burgess blamed an addiction to drugs for his actions.

"If it wasn't for the cocaine, I wouldn't be here today,'' he told Chief Justice Austin Ward. "I'm terribly sorry.'' Mr. Justice Ward sentenced Burgess to serve three concurrent four year prison terms for each of the three counts.