carrying a steel rod.

The assault took place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday outside the Traveller's Rest barber's shop on St. John's Road, Pembroke.

The victim, who is of no fixed abode, claimed he was attacked following a row over money. He was taken to the King Edward II Memorial Hospital for treatment. A 31-year-old man was helping detectives with inquiries after turning himself into Hamilton Police station.

SPATE OF BREAK-INS REPORTED CRM Spate of break-ins reported Shops and houses across the Island suffered a spate of break-ins over the past two days. A thief stole several items of electrical equipment from PJ's Warehouse on Mill's Creek Lane, Pembroke, overnight on Tuesday.

The Somerset Cricket Club on Cricket Lane, Sandy's, was broken into at the same time when theives stole an unknown amount of money from video machines.

The Metaphysical Bookstore in Reid Street, Hamilton, was ransacked overnight on Tuesday by thieves who forced open a cash register and removed a bag of money. Several packages of incense were also taken.

Police arrested a man at 1.30 a.m. on Wednesday following a scuffle on North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish, near Dub City. He was arrested in connection with a break-in and found to have several items which he later confessed he had stolen. A house in Cottage Hill Lane, Hamilton Parish, was broken into at some point on Tuesday and four gold rings were stolen.

And in Crisson Avenue, Pembroke, thieves stole a box containing a "significant'' amount of jewellery some time between 6 and 7.15 p.m.

MAN NEARLY HIT POLICE CAR CTS Man nearly hit Police car Nearly slamming into a Police car at a "dangerously high speed'' will cost a Sandys man a $500 fine and a year of driving privileges.

Andrew Henderson pleaded guilty yesterday before Senior Magistrate Will Francis to driving in a manner dangerous on a public road on January 16.

Henderson, 19, of 20 Seawall Drive, Boaz Island, forced Police officers to quickly turn into a private roadway off Somerset.

Henderson was given until the end of March to pay the fine.

DRUGS TRIAL ADJOURNED CTS Drugs trial adjourned The trial of a Southampton woman who allegedly passed heroin to a prison inmate was adjourned in Magistrates' Court due to paperwork delays.

The decision was made despite objections from accused Wendy Dill, of Lighthouse Lane, who accused the courts of "wasting my time''.

Dill, 37, is charged with attempting to exchange diamorphine while visiting Charles Riley on October 17 last year while he was an inmate at the Prison Farm in St. George's.

Riley, who has since been moved to Westgate Correctional Facility, denied receiving the narcotic, as well as a count of possessing cannabis, on that day when he was charged earlier this month.

On the same day, Magistrate Archie Warner, who noted that this case was "very serious'', said Dill's trial would go ahead whether she was ready or not. But prosecutor Insp. Peter Giles was forced to explain why the Crown was not in a position to proceed. He requested an adjournment on the grounds that the turnaround time between the defendant being charged and the trial date was too short. And he added matters had not been helped by the case's file being misplaced.

"That's unfortunate,'' said Mr. Warner. "I said earlier that this is a very serious matter that needs to be dealt with as speedily as possible.'' Asked what she had to say on the matter, Dill urged that the case be dismissed on the grounds that it was taking too long to get to trial.

Mr. Warner adjourned the case until March 13 and Dill's bail was extended.