A 20-year-old man was charged with forging and cashing cheques to the tune of $11,200 in Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Jamel Nisbett, who is currently in Westgate prison serving time for receiving two stolen cars, pleaded guilty to all 14 counts of stealing, forging, and uttering cheques as well as defrauding bank employees between March 27 and April 17 of last year.

He stole the cheques from his former employers, Advanced Engineering Limited, and took them to the Bank of Butterfield, where he fooled at least three different bank clerks into cashing the cheques on four different occasions. At the time Nisbett was employed by Advanced Engineering while he was on work release from the Co-Ed facility. His crime was discovered in August when the bank called Advanced Engineering Ltd. to tell them that the company account was about $2,000 overdrawn.

However Nisbett managed to "evade and elude" Police for more than a year. He was arrested in early October, after Police, acting on information received, went to a Sandys residence and found him hiding above the ceiling.

Nisbett told Police he used the money to rent hotel rooms and buy a bike, as well as giving it to friends.

Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves was perplexed that bank employees could be fooled in this manner. Pointing out that his own name and face were well known in Bermuda, often appearing in the newspapers, he said: "This is a striking face." But, despite his local fame and whispers in the bank line of "that's Carlisle Greaves", he said every time he wants to cash a cheque the teller asks him for identification.

"What happens that they treat me so and they don't treat these guys like that? I'm too ugly or something?" he asked. "I don't understand how these fellows get through. And this fellow tricked about four different people in the same bank."

He asked Nisbett how he convinced people to give him money and cars. "I don't know, it's just my charisma," replied Nisbett, apologising to the court for the crimes.

Defence attorney Leo Mills asked Mr. Greaves to order a social inquiry report into the matter, however Mr. Greaves refused, saying Nisbett knew what he was doing.

He added that in his almost 30 years as a magistrate, he had never seen a person like Nisbett get off the path he had chosen. "Well, I'll be the first then," said Nisbett.

"Sir, I would love it if you would... but I don't have that confidence," said Mr. Greaves. "I don't blame you," the defendant replied.

Nisbett was sentenced to 12 months in jail for each count, to run concurrently, in addition to the year he was already serving for receiving the stolen cars.