Captured prisoner Brian Carlton Rogers claimed he was "unfairly mistreated'' by Police when he appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday to answer to charges including escaping lawful custody.

He was fined $1,600 and sentenced to 120 days in jail after he pleaded guilty to escaping from jail, two counts of drug possession and destroying Government property, namely the cell wall at St. George's Police Station.

Rogers, 40, of Cut Road, St. George's, was caught on Saturday, after he had eluded Police during a week long manhunt following his escape from St.

George's Police Station.

After a desperate chase, that reportedly saw him swimming away to avoid capture, he was arrested by Police at about 11 a.m..

Yesterday, Rogers appeared handcuffed and carefully guarded by nearly ten uniformed and plain-clothes officers before Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner.

Crown counsel Cindy Clarke told the court that Rogers, who was recently released from Westgate Correctional Facility, was supposed to report to St.

George's Police Station twice a week on terms of his bail conditions.

However, Rogers did not show up on July 21, which prompted officers to arrest him on July 24.

Ms Clarke said when Rogers was in Police custody he was searched and found to be in possession of two plastic twists, one containing a rock-like substance and the other a powder-like substance.

The substances were tested by the Government analyst and the rock-like substance was found to be 0.059 grams of 92 percent pure cocaine free base and the powder-like substance was found to be 0.1 grams of 62 percent pure diamorphine (heroin).

The court heard that Rogers later escaped from St. George's Police Station by crawling out through a cell wall he had chipped away at.

He was found concealed in some bushes near Ferry Reach after being sighted by the public this weekend.

Rogers told Mr. Warner he should not have been arrested on July 24 because he called the station on July 21 and told Police he could not report because he was caring for his sick infant.

"I understand you are in breach of your report conditions,'' Mr. Warner said.

Rogers replied: "No, Your Honour. The only thing I should be answering for is escaping lawful custody. I called the Police Station and spoke to a female officer. I told her that I couldn't come to the station because I was taking care of my new born, who was sick, and they told me `OK'.

"They said that because I called that was good enough, and that I didn't have to sign. They said they did not need to send a patrol car with the documents out to my house because I called and that was OK.'' However, upon investigation, Ms Clarke told Mr. Warner that there was no record of a female Police officer on duty at the station at the alleged time of Rogers' call.

Mr. Warner asked: "Then what happened?'' Rogers continued: "They were gunning after me. I had come back from town from taking my baby to the hospital on Monday and then they arrested me. The Police were gunning after me. It was unnecessary.'' Rogers explained that when he was in custody, he became frustrated and decided to take his frustrations out by kicking at the wall.

"I was frustrated,'' he said. "I was kicking at the wall, when it started to give.

"I just developed an idea. The escape wasn't planned. The opportunity arose and I just took it. It's common knowledge that I escaped. I just think that I was unfairly mistreated. They were making it out like it was some kind of crime spree. All I did was escape lawful custody, that's it.'' Ms Clarke asked for Rogers, who has previous convictions for escaping lawful custody, to have his bail revoked.

Mr. Warner sentenced Rogers to 120 days imprisonment for escaping custody, $500 for possession of cocaine, $500 for possession of heroin and $600 for destruction of Government property.

He was to pay the fines immediately or face 180 days imprisonment in default.

That sentence was to run concurrently to the 120 days imprisonment.