A career thief and drug addict began serving a 15-year prison term yesterday for the attempted murder of a schoolteacher.

Calling 31-year-old David Anthony Eugene Dill a "desperately vicious, morally corrupt and dangerous person'', Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons passed a sentence that she said she felt reflected the violence of his crime.

After the ruling, teacher Dafydd Hermann-Smith, who was stabbed in the chest twice after Dill broke into his Second Avenue, Pembroke, home in the early hours of April 15 last year, said he was happy it was all over.

And he added: "I'm glad he received a long custodial sentence because my basic fear is for anyone who might be his future victims among the people of Bermuda.'' The sentencing comes more than six weeks after Dill, of no fixed abode, was found guilty of five offences by an 11-woman, one-man Supreme Court jury.

Ms Justice Simmons sentenced him to 15 years for attempted murder, five years for breaking and entering, five years for unlawful wounding, four years for stealing with intent to cause bodily fear, and two years for stealing a neighbour's motorcycle, on which he made his get away.

The terms are to run concurrent with each other, with time already served taken into account.

During the trial last December, in which Dill denied all of the charges, evidence was submitted from Police officers, a friend of Dill, neighbours of the complainant and his wife, Julia Lopez Fernandez.

On the witness stand, Mr. Hermann-Smith described how, after waking up to find Dill in his house, a scuffle broke out which moved on to the lawn in front of the house.

He said during the course of the fight he was stabbed in the chest twice and in the right armpit once.

After this, Dill made good his escape by stealing a neighbour's motorcycle.

Pictures graphically detailing the multiple stab wounds to Mr. Hermann-Smith's body were also used as exhibits.

Earlier yesterday Crown counsel Brian Calhoun suggested that Dill deserved the maximum sentence of 20 years for the offence. Mr. Calhoun said it fell into the worst category of such cases.

He revealed that Dill had eight pages of previous convictions, including numerous cases involving motorcycle thefts, breaking and entering and drug possession. And the court heard that while Dill was not married, he did have a young daughter.

Mr. Calhoun noted his record showed he committed offences weeks after he was released from prison for the previous conviction.

He said Dill had sentenced Mr. Herman-Smith and his wife to a life sentence because they "will never be able to sleep peacefully again''.

Describing the matter as "horrendous'', Mr. Calhoun added that its seriousness was shown in the amount of injuries the victim suffered.

"It was only by the grace of God and by a little good luck that Mr.

Hermann-Smith was not killed,'' he said.

He also noted the fact that Dill made no attempt to escape as a mitigating factor in the premeditated "viciousness'' of the attack.

Referring to Dill's previous convictions, Mr. Calhoun said: "Each of these cases represents a human being who was just trying to get by with their lives before being set upon by Mr. Dill.

"After he's released for this offence, how long is it before we'll have another problem with him? He has been given all the breaks by our judicial system to help him take care of his drug addiction.

Dill sentenced to 15 years in prison "What type of thing is going to happen to the next victim of this person who has shown himself to be a repetitive, escalating and dangerous offender?'' But lawyer Elizabeth Christopher asked the court to be lenient in sentencing, noting that while it was a "serious'' matter, she did not feel it was the worst offence of its kind.

She asked that Ms Justice Simmons take into account that Dill had a young daughter with whom he will have to "begin re-building his relationship''.

Ms Christopher also said she felt the fact that Dill had not entered the house with a knife meant it had not been as premeditated as the Crown had made it out to be.

But, after deliberating for a few minutes, Ms Justice Simmons said: "I can see that this was a crime committed by a desperately vicious, morally corrupt, dangerous person.

"I think it is necessary to pass a sentence that reflects the violence of the crime you have committed.

"This court has a responsibility to protect the public and this defendant has clearly shown a pattern of behaviour. I do not accept his drug addiction as a mitigating factor in this case. That is something that he must come to terms with and it cannot absolve him for his actions.'' Dill was silent as the sentence of 15 years was read out for the attempted murder charge.

After the ruling, Ms Christopher said she had already filed an appeal against the conviction.

David Dill