A 16-year-old boy was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital after he was beaten up by a group of around 20 youths on Reid Street last night.

A Police spokesman confirmed that officers were called in at around 9.45 p.m. after reports came in that a youth had been attacked by group of around 20 near on Reid Street near the corner of Parliament Street - just yards from Hamilton Police Station.

The boy had been accompanied by two people his own age but they appeared unhurt. He appeared to have injuries in the area of his right leg and was taken to hospital in an ambulance.

Two men were fined this week for using offensive words - with one of them admitting he cursed out a traffic warden

A foul mouthed Donovan Taylor was fined $800 - and just $75 for the original traffic ticket - by Magistrate Will Francis after he called a traffic warden a “f***ing b*** and a w***e” after he parked in a prohibited spot on Parliament Street.

Crown Counsel Anthony Blackman said Taylor, of Devonshire, had been sitting on a cycle outside the Hamilton Pharmacy when the warden tried to present him with a ticket.

Taylor refused, drove off, only to make a U-turn and return to hurl abuse at the woman. He rode off again, only to make another U-turn and told the woman: “I'll spit in your face!”

It was when he returned to the woman a third time that he threatened her saying: “If I had a knife I'd stab you.”

Mr. Blackman told the court she became fearful and called police.

Taylor admitted to Mr. Francis that he had argued with the warden, adding: “She didn't even put the ticket on my bike and told me to come and get it. She stood there saying all this ignorance and we got in an argument and I rode off.”

After trying to hand off his drugs to an unsuspecting woman, a twenty-two-year old pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine, cannabis and drug paraphernalia yesterday in Magistrates Court.

“I'm sorry. I panicked and it will never happen again,” said Alexander Wilkes when he admitted that he had cowardly handed over a small twist of cocaine to a woman outside the Blue Juice night club on Front Street in late March of this year.

Crown Counsel Juan Wolffe told Magistrate Will Francis that Wilkes was attempting to avoid the Police officers who were following him in order to search him. Wilkes began walking way from The Beach night club on Front Street towards Blue Juice , suspecting two officers were about to approach him.

He met a woman who he knew, and in greeting her passed on a twist which was later discovered to contain 0.53 grams of 70 percent pure cocaine.

The pair were questioned at Hamilton Police Station, and the woman was eventually released, and cleared of all suspicions.

Police searched Wilkes' home where they found a number of cannabis plants, which totalled 6.33 grams along with drug paraphernalia which included a digital scale and two pipes.

Wilkes, who has no other previous convictions, was fined $500 for each of the offences. Wilkes also had several outstanding speeding fines which totalled $1,200. The defendant had to pay immediately or else faced a 90 day prison stay.

After pleading guilty to stealing a tourist's purse, a self confessed crack addict awaits to find out whether he will be eligible for the assistance of the Drug Court's addiction programme.

“My drug problem has no conscience,” said John Thompson,48, after he pleaded guilty to snatching a purse from the basket of a tourist's rental cycle on Monday and using the cash it contained to buy crack.

According to Crown counsel Juan Wolffe the two cruise ship passengers were driving in St. George's when Thompson chased them down Old Military Road. The pillion passenger saw him ride off ahead of them with her black purse and realised it had been snatched.

The tourists tried to chase after him but Thompson quickly escaped with $530 in cash and property totalling $955 in value.

Later that evening the purse was found but minus the cash.

Thompson was caught in King's Square, St. George's early Tuesday morning. Thompson admitted to the theft telling Police that he had removed the cash to buy crack and then dumped the purse along with expensive contents which included a Fendi clutch and a Burberry hat.

Thompson was released in May after three years in prison for handbag snatching and breaking and entering.

Mr. Wolfe recommended that Thompson be sent to Supreme Court for sentencing, a point on which Magistrate Will Francis concurred.

“This was my first set back. I've been clean for 27 months,” said Thompson - apparently including the time he has been in prison. “This was my first relapse and you can see the result.”