A man who admitted repeatedly skipping Regiment narrowly escaped spending Christmas behind bars.

Roderick Simmons, 25, pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court on Monday to missing 17 drill sessions since June 6.

According to Crown counsel Nicole Smith, Simmons has missed more than 100 drill sessions since he was first enlisted in 2004.

In total, Simmons has completed only 40.5 drills during his five-year enlistment. The minimum requirement for a single year of service at the Bermuda Regiment is 40.

Simmons, who works on a trash truck for Works and Engineering, told the court yesterday that he missed Regiment in order to make money to support his family.

"I've been caught up in my responsibilities," he said. "I'm just trying to make sure my family have a roof over their heads."

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner sentenced Simmons to 30 days in prison, but seconds after Simmons was lead out of the courtroom, Duty counsel Kenville Savoury convinced the Magistrate to reconsider.

"He obviously understands now the importance of his attendance," Mr. Savoury said. "Give him the opportunity to spend Christmas with his family and make amends."

Mr. Warner suspended Simmons' sentence for two years, saying: "I think you've got the picture now."