yesterday that he would have to be sentenced in Supreme Court.

Magistrate Edward King told defendant John Sinclair Anderson that he did not have sufficient power to issue a sentence that equaled the assault and eight other crimes.

Anderson, 32, of St. Monica's Road, Pembroke, pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court last week to nine offences.

They consisted of one charge of wounding, two of assault, two of wilful damage of property, two of possessing an offensive weapon, one count of threatening behaviour and one of theft.

The court heard how Anderson had almost chopped a man's finger off after attacking him with a machete while the victim sat in a car on his lunch break.

Prosecutor Charmaine Smith told how Anderson approached the car in December of last year and punched the victim in the head.

She said: "He punched him in the face through the car window for no reason.

As he (the victim) looked, he saw the defendant with a machete.'' She said Anderson attacked the victim with the weapon, causing serious lacerations to his right hand.

The man was able to escape and drive to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where he received surgery for severed nerves to his hand. Last week, the court also heard how Anderson admitted kicking a woman in the groin while she was with her young child. It was alleged that he also tried to attack her later with a baseball bat and told her he was "the devil in the night'', before warning her to watch her back.

In another incident in February this year, Anderson smashed the windscreen of a car with a baseball bat when he got involved in a row with a woman.

The court heard how he was trying to break into the car to reach the woman, but failed, so attacked the windscreen, instead.

Yesterday, Anderson, who has a string of previous offences, told Mr. King that he had pleaded guilty to the offences and had asked for concurrent sentences to be imposed because he did not want to waste the court's time.

He added: "I know I did some things I was not supposed to, but I'm trying to change. I'm taking on classes right now.'' But the Magistrate said a significant jail sentence needed to be passed.

Mr. King added: "You have some serious offences here.

"You're walking around with offensive weapons and doing strange things, man.

"My sentencing powers are limited. You must go to Supreme Court for sentencing. There are too many serious offences here.'' A date is to be set for sentencing at Supreme Court.