A man was given a conditional discharge for speeding after the audience in the court played jury yesterday in Magistrates' Court.

Bruce Linn, 26, of Rosemont Avenue, Pembroke, pleaded guilty to speeding at 55 kilometres an hour. He said: “I was issued the ticket when I was on a rental scooter just after I arrived on the Island.

“I realised that the speedometer was broken and I took it back to Oleander Cycles. They said that it is not against the law for the speedometer to be broken on a 50cc bike. But I had no idea what speed I was going.”

Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves asked: “Do you all believe him?”

Just about everyone in the court said yes and Mr. Greaves - a Barbadian - said: “You are probably all foreigners as well. I'll give you a conditional discharge, that means do not come in here for speeding in the next six months.”

A 25-year-old man charged with being in possession of firearms and drugs appeared last week in Magistrates' Court for trial.

Aquil Richardson, 25, of Sunnyside Park, Southampton, was charged with being in possession of cocaine and ecstasy with intent to supply. He is also charged with being in possession of cannabis, a digital scale, a gun magazine and one round of ammunition on February 21.

Magistrate William Francis adjourned the trial because one of the witnesses was not present. The new dates have been set for March 17 and March 18, and his bail of $10,000 was extended.

Lawyer Larry Mussenden represents Richardson and Charmaine Smith acts for the Crown.

A burglar broke into an apartment at the Astwood Cove Guest House on South Shore, Warwick on Sunday morning and took a wallet containing $92.

And burglars took two crash helmets and a black leather jacket from Cycles International on Middle Road, Southampton between 5 and 6 a.m. on Saturday.

The Fluff and Fold laundromat in Parsons Road, Pembroke, was broken into overnight last Wednesday and $700 was stolen.

Police are investigating a complaint that a thief made off with $2800, two men's watches and a passport when he a handbag was stolen from a house in Jubilee Road, Devonshire, also on Wednesday night.

The householder reported that when she returned home from the grocery store on Wednesday night she placed her handbag on a kitchen chair and went to her bedroom. She says when she returned, the handbag was stolen.

MPs tabled a law setting out the rights for buyers to return faulty goods in the House of Assembly on Friday.

The Sale of Goods Amendment Act 2002 will allow buyers to partially reject faulty goods. So if 100 tiles are bought and 40 are cracked the buyer can reject those 40 and keep the rest.

The bill will set out time limits for rejection to take place and outlaw unreasonable rejection.

Four men were arrested for failing to report for military duty through the joint efforts of the Police Support Unit (PSU) and the Bermuda Regimental Police on Friday night.

Four others were also apprehended by the PSU for various offences; two for suspicion of possession of a controlled drug, one for outstanding warrants and another for using offensive words.

In addition to making nine drug seizures, on Saturday, the PSU arrested one person for having an outstanding warrant; one for possession of drug equipment and one person for suspicion of breaking and entering.