mother while she was in custody has been re-charged with the offence after it was thrown out of court a few months ago.

Kirk Roberts, of West Side Road, pleaded not guilty in Magistrates' Court yesterday and demanded a Supreme Court trial.

"I don't understand why I'm here... this case has been thrown out by (Magistrate) Archie Warner already. It's ridiculous, I've been in front of every judge about four times,'' Roberts told Acting Magistrate Justin Williams.

"It took too long before because the prosecution wasn't ready, and it's going to be the same thing again. How can this be legal?'' Roberts allegedly passed a handkerchief to his mother Barbara Roberts on June 19, 1998 during an appeal on her 12-year prison sentence for drug possession.

The hanky allegedly contained the controlled drug Lorazepam.

Lorazepam is a medication used to treat anxiety and help in sleeping. It is banned in Bermuda and illegal in the US, but available by prescription in Canada.

During a preliminary inquiry in October 1999, Mr. Warner dismissed the charges against Roberts because of numerous adjournments and the unavailability of a witness.

But Crown counsel Leighton Rochester told the court yesterday that the charge was now a summary charge instead of an indictable offence.

Roberts replied: "I paid $10,000 to fight this with Julian Hall, and I'm not paying to fight it again. I'm not going to get a lawyer, just give me a longform P.I.(preliminary inquiry).'' Mr. Williams ordered that Roberts' bail be extended. He is scheduled to appear in plea court next month.

FIRE STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION FIR Fire still under investigation Nothing new was known last night about the circumstances surrounding the death on Sunday of 61-year-old Urban Ned Fleming in his Warwick home.

The father of six died in his Smith Avenue home before two firefighters braved the dangerous conditions and entered the home wearing breathing equipment.

Yesterday, a Fire Service spokesman said while investigators had worked all day at the scene, the cause of the fire had not been determined, nor was the cause of death known.

DRUGS DGS