suspended prison sentence for stealing cheques from his employer and forging them.

Calvin Hendrickson, of Crown Hill Lane, Devonshire, pleaded guilty to stealing ten cheques from Norwood Construction & Joinery Ltd. on Bakery Lane, Pembroke, between March 23-31, and forging, uttering, falsely obtaining about $2,800, and attempting to obtain another $1,700.

Hendrickson also asked that 18 other similar counts be taken into consideration.

Insp. Peter Duffy, prosecuting in Magistrates' Court, said the company's general manager left signed, blank cheques in the office, to which Hendrickson had access.

Eight cheques were discovered missing during March and it was ascertained that one of the cheques was uttered at the Bank of N.T. Butterfield for $200 on March 26 by Hendrickson.

He said a further cheque for $1,150 was uttered at the Bank of Bermuda.

On April 3 two other cheques were stolen and it was established that those cheques were forged by Hendrickson in the sum of $1,500.

Insp. Duffy said: "Luckily, a teller discovered that a stoppage had been placed on the account''.

Hendrickson was interviewed at the Police Station on April 4 and admitted the offences.

He told Police he used the money for drugs, Insp. Duffy said, adding that Hendrickson is undergoing counselling at Addiction Services and has since paid back most of the money to Norwood Construction which has rehired him.

"While I do not wish to make light of these offences, which are very serious,'' duty counsel Mr. John Barritt said, "there is a silver lining that the system does work with people who make it work.

"Hendrickson is in Addiction Services' programme and the fact that his employers rehired him that speaks volumes of what they think of this young man and the nature of the real problem.'' Mr. Barritt also noted that Hendrickson's employer sent a letter to the Police Commissioner confirming that they rehired him and have deducted the money stolen from his salary, with a balance of $300 outstanding.

"Not withstanding the seriousness of these offences, the philosophy is there's no sense in putting down a man when a man has put out his hand and the employer has helped him,'' Mr. Barritt told Senior Magistrate the Wor. Will Francis.

Mr. Francis told Hendrickson: "I took into account all that the duty counsel said. But this court must send a message that this kind of offence, employees stealing employers, is a very serious offence and I must give a warning that there will be no next time'' Mr. Francis sentenced Hendrickson to three months in prison, suspended for 18 months.