Trying to sneak food out of a store without paying has landed a Devonshire man in court.

Ronald Butterfield was caught attempting to steal a bottle of juice and a container of hot food from MarketPlace, Hamilton. The total value was $15.99. The defendant, from Cedar Park, Devonshire, went to pay for some oranges but the court heard store staff spotted a bulge in the front of his pants where the bottle of juice and the container of chicken and rice were hidden.

When the goods were found Butterfield said he hid them in his trouser pockets because he did not have enough money to pay for them. Butterfield, 38, admitted attempting to steal on April 15 last year and was fined $200.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner told the defendant to pay the fine on the day he appeared in court ? or go to prison.

A man told a court he stole a "tips" container from the counter of a juice bar because he was hungry and needed money to buy himself some food. Richard DeSilva, 25, admitted the theft of the money, which amounted to $12.46, from the juice bar inside the Down to Earth health food store on Reid Street last week.

The court was told DeSilva, of Coral Acres, Southampton, had gone to the store and asked the juice bar assistants for a glass of water, which he then drank as he sat at the counter.

He was then seen by a member of staff to place the plastic container with the tip money under his clothing and leave the shop.

The shop assistant shouted "He's taken the tips!" and DeSilva was followed outside by staff who alerted a Police officer.

The Police officer saw DeSilva take the tips container from out of his clothing and arrested him. Magistrates' Court heard that DeSilva admitted the theft and said he was hungry and was going to use the money for food. Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner said DeSilva's criminal record showed he was a persistent offender and ordered him to serve 60 days in prison for the offence.

A man who was stopped in a Hamilton street carrying a CD player that had been stolen from a nearby parked van has begun a 30-day prison term. Appearing in Magistrates' Court, Roderick Gilbert Tucker, 49, denied stealing the $280 player but said he had offered to sell it for another man in Court Street.

The court heard that on February 20 a man returned to his company van and was told by a passerby that a "tall man who washes cars" had taken a black box out of the back of the van when it was parked in Dundonald Street.

The man spotted Tucker nearby carrying the box containing the CD player and took it back from him. Tucker claimed someone else had given him the box. Tucker, of Fentons Drive, Pembroke, was later arrested by Police and told them he had taken the player from a man in Court Street and offered to sell it for him.

He pleaded guilty to being in possession of the stolen goods and was sentenced to 30 days in prison followed by 24 months on probation.

Two differing versions of a roadside dispute, in which a man was assaulted and his cell phone was stolen, were aired at Magistrates Court' as Roger Leon Pitcher offered an explanation into his behaviour on December 16 last year.

The court was told Pitcher had seen his former tenant riding a motorbike along Middle Road in Devonshire and had pulled his bike alongside and told him to pull over. When the former tenant did not do so he struck the man with his helmet.

The victim stopped to regain control of his bike and then took a detour route to St. George's to avoid a further confrontation with Pitcher. But Pitcher pulled up alongside him again on Kindley Field Road, St. George's, and this time it was claimed in court he kicked the wheel of the 57-year-old man's bike forcing him to stop.

Pitcher was then said to have hit the man a number of times, accusing him of sending his brother to jail for five years, and then took the man's cell phone.

In court Pitcher, of Curving Avenue, Pembroke, claimed the prosecution version of the events was incorrect and he said he only took the cell phone to force his former tenant to call him so he could find out why he had left his property without giving any notice.

Pitcher said he had not rammed his former tenant off the road, adding: "We had an exchange of words - but no punches were thrown. He was my tenant and he moved out and did not give any notice and I wanted to ask him why he left like that. My brother is not even doing five years in prison."

However, Pitcher pleaded guilty to assault and theft of the phone, which he later handed to Police.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner fined Pitcher $500 for the assault and $300 for theft.

A drunk driver who blamed "a few scotches up at the golf course" after almost hitting a Police car was fined $1,000 and disqualified from driving all vehicles for 12 months.

Larry Furbert, 46, of Hermitage Road, Devonshire, pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court last week of impaired driving on North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish, on March 6.

Crown counsel Cindy Clarke said Police were travelling east near the Crawl Hill Esso station when a black car travelling in the opposite direction swerved into their path and almost caused an accident.

Before turning around and stopping Furbert near the junction of Radnor Road, Police saw him swerve into the path of oncoming traffic several times, she said.

His lowest breathalyser reading was 187 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, Ms Clarke said.

The legal limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner said Furbert would serve three months in prison if he did not pay his fine on time.

A drug addict who stole to feed his addiction was granted $2,000 bail after new local rehabilitation experts, Caron Bermuda, said they wanted to enter him into a residential drug-treatment programme.

Marvin Woolridge, 42, of Loyal Hill Pass, Devonshire, pleaded not guilty to stealing a $3,500 cycle in Southampton on March 13.

Woolridge also denied knowingly receiving the stolen property at the same date and time. Crown counsel Shakira Dill objected to bail, saying there was a risk Woolridge would re-offend.

However, duty counsel Rick Woolridge said the defendant should get bail. "This is an opportunity for this young man to turn his life around," Mr. Woolridge said. "I ask he be given the opportunity to enter the drug programme."

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner granted Woolridge bail with one surety to appear for trial on June 2.

Two American residents appeared in Magistrates' Court last week for importing controlled drugs into Bermuda.

Both visitors arrived on March 19 on a flight from Atlanta.

Ronal S. Poe was approached by officers and he admitted that he had drugs on him and produced two hand made 'cigarettes' from his luggage. The cigarettes contained 2.7 grams of cannabis.

He apologised for his actions and said he "wasn't thinking clearly". He asked for time to pay the $1,000 fine, but was told he would remain in jail until the full amount was paid.

Rita Ashenbernner admitted to possessing drugs and two more home made cigarettes were found. They contained 0.72 grams of cannabis. Ashenbernner told the court she had drugs to manage her pain. She explained that she had liver disease, osteoporosis and other ailments that made her life very difficult. She was also fined $1,000.