A young man, who blames his family for his criminal behaviour, will be spending the next eight months in prison.

Twenty-eight-year-old Floyd Spence, of Whaling Hill, Southampton, admitted in Magistrates' Court to committing a variety of offences.

Spence told Senior Magistrate Will Francis that his anger and frustration with his family drove him to commit the crimes.

He was charged with stealing several windows from the golf club at the Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton and with breaking and entering the establishment. Spence pleaded guilty to both offences which occurred on April 14.

He also admitted wilfully damaging two pepper plants and a canvas car cover belonging to his stepmother Leonette Carmichael.

According to junior Crown counsel Veronica Gordon, Spence went to Mrs.

Carmichael's home on April 5, asking her for $4 and telling her he needed a job. The court heard that Mrs. Carmichael did not give Spence any money and told him she did not have any jobs available.

Ms Gordon said Mrs. Carmichael noticed Spence in the tool shed and went to ask him what he was doing. He reportedly told her he was going to mow the lawn, but needed to fix the lawnmower.

According to the Crown, Mrs. Carmichael then saw Spence pick up a knife and start talking to himself. Feeling threatened, she went back into her house, looked through a window, and saw Spence jab a piece of wood with the knife a few times.

Spence then cut up two nearby pepper plants and went to the gas cylinders in the yard, cutting at the copper pipe and telling Mrs. Carmichael: "You haven't seen me act up. I will blow up this house.'' In court yesterday, Spence explained his frustration with his family.

"They have a million dollar business, your honour, which I left school to help them build up and they just leave me out now and treat me like dirt,'' he said. "I just want to let them understand how much anger they've put in me.'' Spence, who has a history of criminal offences dating back to 1988, also admitted taking a cab and not having enough funds to cover the cost. He admitted to committing that offence on October 15 last year.

But Spence told Mr. Francis the taxi driver had lied to the Police and that he had felt like hitting him.

"To tell you the truth, your Honour, I really felt like going upside his head,'' he said. "That's how I felt, but I was able to hold it in.'' Mr. Francis sentenced Spence to eight months in prison for the Port Royal offences, one month for the wilful damage, and ten days for not paying the cab fare. The sentences are to run concurrently.