to prison for three months.

Alvin Ricardo Hagigal, who lives in New York, pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court to stealing $1,500 from Horace Pasley of Devonshire, unlawfully destroying a window, possessing an offensive weapon -- a machete -- and remaining on the Island without proper permission.

Police prosecutor Sgt. John Dale said Pasley -- Hagigal's uncle -- told Police he had placed a plastic bag containing the money in a jacket in his bedroom closet on September 10.

The next day Hagigal visited Pasley's home to get some clothes, Sgt. Dale said. Pasley later noticed that the money was missing.

Pasley went to a guest cottage where Hagigal was staying and took Hagigal's plane ticket and travel documents and gave them to Police.

Two days later, Sgt. Dale said, Pasley left his house secure and when he returned he found the window smashed.

Hagigal was arrested on September 20 and Police found a 28-inch machete strapped to his leg.

"I keep it for protection from my uncle,'' Sgt. Dale said Hagigal told Police. Hagigal also claimed that his uncle owed him the money.

The court also heard that Hagigal entered Bermuda on a USAir flight from New York on July 12 and was only given permission to stay in Bermuda for 21 days.

Sgt Dale told Senior Magistrate the Wor. Will Francis that Immigration wanted to deport Hagigal -- who has been in custody since September 22 -- when the case was concluded.

Hagigal, who is the father of a Bermudian child and also has another child on the way, said: "I just want to go home and get this all behind me''.

Mr. Francis sentenced him to three months in prison for stealing, one month for destroying Pasley's window, two months for possessing the machete, and one month for illegally staying on the Island.

The sentences are to run concurrently and the time that Hagigal has spent in custody was to be taken into consideration.

DEFENCE EXPECTED TO START TODAY CTS Defence expected to start today Legal arguments dominated the entire day of the fraud trial of lawyer Charles Vaucrosson yesterday but the defence is expected to begin its case this morning.

Jamaican lawyer Mr. Frank Phipps will lead the defence at that time. The trial is now in its third week.

Vaucrosson, a lawyer, lives on North Shore Road, Pembroke. He is accused of stealing more than $300,000 from the beneficiaries of Ball's trust fund. Ball was a journalist at the Bermuda Broadcasting Company.

Of the nine charges, the first eight relate to Vaucrosson acting for Ball's estate between an unknown time and February 1 and March 1, 1991.

It is alleged that he stole money -- ranging in amounts from $9,000 to $151,750 from the beneficiaries of the estate.

And the ninth charge alleges that he fraudulently disposed of the trust property -- some $393,782.58 -- and committed it to uses other than those authorised by the trust.

Senior Crown counsel Mr. Michael Pert is conducting the prosecution with Mr.

James Candlin. Acting Chief Justice Mrs. Justice Wade is presiding.

MAN PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO ASSAULT CTS Man pleads not guilty to assault A 32-year-old man appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday to answer charges of assaulting a Police officer with the intent to prevent lawful arrest and wilfully damaging his father's door.

John Smith of Windy Bank, Smith's Parish, was already in prison for breaking his probation and pleaded guilty to breaking the door and not guilty to hitting the Police officer.

Insp. Peter Duffy told the court that Smith had gone to his father Cuthbert Smith's house looking for money. Cuthbert Smith told his son to leave but before he did Smith hit the door and broke one of its glass panes.

Senior Magistrate the Wor William Francis sentenced Smith to one month in prison which will run concurrently to the sentence of three months he received when he broke his probation.

He will be tried for assaulting the Police officer on March 5, next year.