when he was sentenced to serve three years in prison in Supreme Court yesterday.

Coolridge Winslow Eve was found guilty in Magistrates' court last month of unlawful entry and prowling at the Bermuda College's Stonington Beach complex.

He was sent to the upper court for sentencing "because of the seriousness of the offences and his previous record''.

The court heard that Eve had a history of breaking, entering, unlawful entry, prowling and theft dating back to 1972.

Eve's lawyer, Mr. Philip Perinchief, said his client's "unfortunate social history'' caused constant run-ins with the law and that society was partially to blame for his situation.

"There must be some reason for his propensity to commit these crimes,'' Mr.

Perinchief said. "This young man has continued to fall between the cracks.

Somewhere along the way, society should have picked it up.'' But Puisne Judge, the Hon. Mr. Austin Ward, while thumbing through a list of Eve's previous convictions, pointed out instances where he was back in prison within months of being released.

"This shows that he cannot function outside the prison system,'' Mr. Ward said.

Addressing the court, Eve said frustration and "drifting back into street life'' caused him to commit the offences. "I've had a life of drugs and drug-related crimes,'' Eve said. "It has taken me a long time to come to the realisation that there is another way of life.'' Eve told Mr. Ward he lost his last job because he was being constantly questioned by Police about a crime he insists he knew nothing about.

"There is a good side of me too,'' he said. "If I was given one last chance, I would make something positive of my life.'' After handing down two three-year sentences to run concurrently, Mr. Ward told Eve: "You should learn a trade. Coming out of prison without a skill will mean nobody will respect you.''