stealing more than $21,000 in cash and merchandise during the past three months said "rage and frustration'' drove him to commit the crimes.

Adib Abdul-Jabbar, also known as Stephen Cann, told Senior Magistrate the Wor.

Will Francis yesterday that he "felt like burning the whole town down'' at one point because of his anger.

In a prepared speech to the court, Abdul-Jabbar said he had become disheartened by his inability to get a job in a market full of foreign workers and the lack of proper drug rehabilitation facilities in the Island.

The 42-year-old Warwick man also said Police "had very little to go on'' in most of the cases, and that if he had not offered information after his arrest on forgery charges, they would have never caught him.

Sgt. Earl Kirby, prosecuting, read out the long list of charges. Between September 1 and November 20, Abdul-Jabbar gained entry to restaurants, retail operations and business offices around the capital by breaking open windows or doors.

He primarily stole cash, which he obtained from registers, cash boxes, locked cabinets, safes, cigarette machines and "hiding places''. One beauty salon lost $775 in bracelets and watches.

He narrowly escaped capture twice when he was discovered by employees who were checking the premises. He was even found asleep in a cupboard at one office, but fled before Police arrived.

The Cobbs Hill Road resident also admitted forging, uttering and inducing payment for a $4,689 cheque from the Sea Horses off-track betting office.

Abdul-Jabbar had taken the cheque and $1,900 in cash from the establishment during a break-in between September 15 and October 10.

He was also charged with forging and uttering a Sea Horses betting slip, for $443. Sgt. Kirby said Abdul-Jabbar admitted to forging betting slips on four separate occasions.

Sgt. Kirby said Abdul-Jabbar had 59 similar breaking and entering convictions, and 18 previous convictions relating to forgery.

Abdul-Jabbar said after his arrest for forging the betting slip, he told Police about the burglaries because "he wanted to be honest''.

He admitted using most of the money to support a cocaine habit.

"Whatever the sentence, I'm at peace with myself and I'm ready to accept the consequences,'' Abdul-Jabbar told the court.

Abdul-Jabbar also attacked Bermudians for "accentuating the negative'' by not hiring ex-prisoners.

"If you put your criminal activity on your (employment) application, you won't get the job,'' he said. "I'm educated, and qualified to be a manager, but I can't even get a job as a clerk.'' Abdul-Jabbar also said local facilities for substance abusers was "total inadequate'' and over-crowded.

Despite his request to be tried in the lower court, Mr. Francis decided it would be up to the Supreme Court to pass sentence. Abdul-Jabbar was remanded in custody until his appearance in Supreme Court.