black bag containing video equipment from her were each fined $350 and given conditional discharges yesterday.

Dean Ming, 37, and Troy Rawlins, 35, both from Pembroke, said they were doing their jobs when the incident occurred at an illegal male strip show last Mother's Day at the Spinning Wheel nightclub.

Both men were found guilty of stealing the black bag and video equipment worth $1,752 and unlawfully assaulting P.c. Rosabelle Eunice Lambert by Magistrate Edward King.

P.c. Lambert went to the nightclub with another officer and the video equipment so she could tape the strip show.

Terry Burgess approached her and accused her of having a camera in her bag.

She asked to search the bag and P.c. Lambert refused.

She attempted to leave the club but Ming was ordered to search her bag and made it clear that she would not leave without him seeing its contents.

P.c. Lambert was backed into a wall by four or five people and screamed as they tried to take her bag.

The second officer called other officers on her cellphone from outside the club.

Although they claimed to have the right to search P.c. Lambert and claimed not to have known she was an officer, continued Mr. King, he believed her testimony that Ming had known.

"P.c. Lambert testified that Ming said `yes, she's a cop'. Ming, with that knowledge, could not entertain that it was his duty to search P.c. Lambert,'' Mr. King said.

He added that he did not believe Rawlins when he told the court that he had no intention of keeping the bag and that he only wanted the tape.

Mr. King said: "Rawlins had the opportunity to take the tape and return the bag and its other contents but he hid the bag, which another person took.'' Although Ming claimed that Rawlins took the bag, Mr. King said Rawlins, with Ming's assistance, wrestled the bag from P.c. Lambert, which resulted in her sustaining several bruises and a broken fingernail.