group.

Valirie Akinstall, of Akinstall International, yesterday appeared before Senior Magistrate Will Francis after missing her trial for obtaining credit by false pretences between July 10 and August 5.

Ms Akinstall was to stand trial on April 3.

Last Friday's court date was the second one that she has missed. The original trial date for the fraud case was October 4, 1997.

Yesterday, Ms Akinstall told Mr. Francis that she did not turn up for Friday's trial because she was sick.

"I was very ill,'' she said. "I did call in on Monday and explained.'' And she maintained that she was not trying to avoid the matter and was in fact anxious to resolve it.

"This is an issue I want to resolve.'' Mr. Francis set a new trial date of August 6 but increased her bail and assigned a surety to ensure that Ms Akinstall showed up for her trial.

He set her bail at $1,000 -- an increase of $500 -- with a surety in like sum.

MAN PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO ASSAULT ON WOMAN CTS Man pleads not guilty to assault on woman A 33-year-old Centre Re employee yesterday denied assaulting a woman during the Christmas holidays.

David Cash, of Old South Road, Southampton, pleaded not guilty in Magistrates' Court to assaulting Jean Ann Forde on December 23 in Southampton.

Senior Magistrate Will Francis set a trial date for September 2 and released Cash on $500 bail.

COURT STRIPS MEN OF $53,230 IN FOREIGN CURRENCY CTS Court strips men of $53,230 in foreign currency Two men were forced to surrender more than $53,000 in cash to a Magistrates' court on Monday.

Mitchell Robinson of Peat Lane, Pembroke, and Reeve Young, of Middle Road, Warwick, pleaded guilty to attempting to export more than the allowed amount of foreign currency.

Police prosecutor, Sgt. Anthony Mouchette, told the court the two 23-year-old men checked in together at the Bermuda Airport on October 27 last year.

US Customs officials later discovered US$31,880 in Robinson's possession and Young had US$27,350.

Defence counsel Mark Pettingill told Magistrate Edward King the money did not belong to either of the two men.

He said they were doing a favour for Robinson's father and carrying the money to family members living overseas.

But Mr. King said he did not accept the presence of "special circumstances''.

He returned $3,000 each -- the legal limit which can be taken out of the country without permission -- to both defendants. Mr. King also ordered a fine of $500 for each man be taken out of the money returned.

The remaining total $53,230 was forfeited to the Crown.

Father, son deny thefts of stero, tiles A father and son have denied stealing a car stereo and 22 cases of tile.

Jomel Edward Parks Wilkinson, 25, and Edward John Parks Dill, 44, both of Mount Hill, Pembroke, were accused in Magistrates' Court yesterday of stealing a $250 car stereo from M&M International on Church Street Hamilton. The date of the alleged offence was not put before the court.

They were also jointly charged with stealing 22 cases of tile worth $1,562 from Maynard Soares.

The men were ordered by Senior Magistrate Will Francis to return to court for mention on April 21.