A Senior Magistrate said he was unable to sentence a heroin addict because the Island did not have the resources to put the offender on a suitable treatment programme.

Royston Place, 40, of Town Hill Road, Smith's, had admitted a stealing spree at the expense of his former employer at a previous hearing at Magistrates' Court.

At court yesterday, Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner was handed a pre-sentence report advising how the probation service thought Place should be dealt with.

However, on receiving the report, Mr. Warner suggested it would be impossible for him to follow the advice because of the lack of long-term residential facilities to treat addicts in Bermuda.

Mr. Warner delayed sentencing for two weeks and asked court staff to come up with an alternative way of treating Place.

He told the court: "It makes a mockery of us all. Obviously, we can't utilise the full berth of our options. Frankly, this was a waste of my time.

"If a report such as this indicates that a person needs a long-term residential treatment programme, it would be wrong for me to deal with him in any other way in terms of treatment.

"I adjourn for two weeks for further reports in light of the unavailability of the resources which are needed to carry out this report, to see what other suitable alternatives you can come up with."

Place stole money, soda and other items from vending machines belonging to John Barritt and Sons after he was sacked as a service technician by the company on August 9.

At a hearing last month, he told the court a former colleague had handed him a set of keys which gave him access to vending machines across the Island.

Soon after, a vending machine at the Fairmont Southampton was found to have $500 missing and no sign of forced entry.

Place also used the key to steal from a number of other machines.

Place, who pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and theft, had first started using heroin in his early twenties.

Yesterday, he told Mr. Warner: "My intentions are definitely to get on some sort of programme."

Place was taken back into custody and will re-appear at Magistrates' Court later this month.