Pembroke man, 28, charged with serious sexual assault

A Pembroke man faces several charges of serious sexual assault.

The 28-year-old Jamaican national, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was not required to enter a plea when he appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday.

He is accused of serious sexual assault and actual bodily harm on February 10 this year and threatening someone who was about to appear in judicial proceedings between February 14 and May 19.

The charges relating to May 23 were serious sexual assault and unlawful wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and unlawfully confining and detaining someone.

He was remanded in custody and will reappear on June 11.

Wheelchair crash leads to road ban

A Paget man has been banned from the road for a year and given a $1,000 fine after crashing into a wheelchair in Curving Avenue, Pembroke last month.

Police were called to a road accident and found Jason Berkeley, 21, had come off his bike after hitting a person in the wheelchair.

When they asked Berkeley if he wanted medical attention Police noticed his breath smelled of alcohol and he appeared unstable on his feet as he hunted for his driver's licence.

He admitted drinking a couple of beers and said: "I done wrong, OK." A breath test revealed he was more than twice over the legal limit. Berkeley pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Freedom following driving ban confusion

A Pembroke man walked free on Tuesday thanks to discrepancies between TCD and the courts.

Gary Dillas, 50, appeared before the courts charged with driving while disqualified on Dundonald Street on December 5 last year. He had been taken off the road in 1998 for five years after another charge of driving while impaired, and according to court records was not due to come back on the road until March 2003.

Dillas, who denied the allegation, has appeared in court previously on a number of charges of driving while impaired and driving while disqualified. Crown counsel Wayne Caines asked for a jail sentence, saying: "A strong message should be sent to members of the public."

Acting Magistrate Carlisle Greaves agreed. "You deserve locking up," he told Dillas. "You're dangerous.''

However, Dillas produced a driver's licence which he got from TCD on December 6, the day after the offence. He insisted that according to the TCD records his disqualification from driving ended in March of 2002, not 2003, and that was why TCD had allowed him the licence on December 6.

"How does TCD give licences that can't stand up?" Mr. Greaves said. "That's what I'm wondering too, sir," replied Dillas.

"If there's a discrepancy in the computer it must be in favour of the defendant," said Mr. Caines. "The Crown is offering no evidence."

"You are embarrassing this court, making me look bad," said Mr. Greaves as he dismissed Dillas.

Steak thief's Bermuda Day barbecue disrupted

A drunken Pembroke man's Bermuda Day barbecue was put on hold after he was arrested for stealing packages of steak on May 24.

Dean Burgess, 41, was confronted by store personnel and arrested by Police on the afternoon of May 24 as he attempted to leave Arnold's Supermarket on St. John's Road in Pembroke. Three packages of steak worth $47.16 were found on his person - and only $6 in cash.

Burgess admitted the offence to Police.

"I was drunk at the time," he told Acting Magistrate Carlisle Greaves in Plea Court on Tuesday. "I'm sorry, I feel very embarrassed. I apologised to the owner and he accepted my apology, he just said he didn't want me coming back on the premises anymore ... and I gave him back his steaks right then and there."

Mr. Greaves fined Burgess $250 to be paid by the end of the week or face 40 days in jail.