Man had machete 'for protection'

A Pembroke man who admitted to carrying a bladed article on Court Street "for protection" will be sentenced later this month.

Shaki Minors, 25, of South Terrace, pleaded guilty to carrying a machete with a blade of one foot, seven inches on Monday.

Magistrates' Court heard that at 3.20 a.m. Police on duty at the junction of Court and Victoria Street received information about Minors. They stopped him while he was on his motorcycle travelling north and asked him whether he had a weapon on him.

Minors admitted to the offence and Police found a machete with a black handle shoved inside his pants leg, with a string attached.

He told Police it was used "for protection" and was taken to the Hamilton Police Station.

In court Minors apologised for the offence and asked the court for leniency. He said his son was due to start Primary School soon and suggested probation or a heavy fine, instead of jail time.

Acting Senior Magistrate Tyrone Chin ordered a social inquiry report and released him on $1,000 bail.

Minors was ordered to appear back in court on September 30 for sentencing.

Man arrested after fight

A 60-year-old Hamilton Parish man was arrested on Tuesday after he brandished a bladed article during a fight.

The Hamilton Parish man injured a 43-year-old Pembroke man after an altercation broke out between them on Point Pleasant Road, in Pembroke.

The 43-year-old man was wounded to the forehead and taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, but subsequently released.

Police issue witness appeal

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fight that took place at the St. David's Cricket Club on Saturday.

The verbal dispute, which happened around 7 p.m., involved two men, and turned violent when a 39-year-old Smith's parish man was punched in the face.

The Smith's man received a broken jaw and facial injuries and was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where he is currently in stable condition on a regular ward.

Anyone with information on this altercation is asked to contact the St. George's Criminal Investigation Unit on 293 2222.

Woman banned, fined for impaired driving

A woman who admitted to driving with more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in her system, was banned from the Island's roads yesterday when she appeared in Magistrates' Court.

Colette Gibbons, 53, of Harlem Heights Road, in Hamilton Parish, admitted to driving with 175 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood on July 18. The legal limit is 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood.

The court heard that Police conducting speed checks near the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, in Flatts, spotted a black Honda CRV driving west on North Shore Road.

They stopped the vehicle, driven by Gibbons, and while talking to her noticed that her eyes were glazed and speech was slurred.

Police asked Gibbons to get out of the car and saw that she was also unsteady on her feet.

Gibbons was cautioned for the offence and taken to Hamilton Police Station where she was given a breathalyser test.

In court yesterday duty counsel Kenneth Savoury said that Gibbons was remorseful and embarrassed by the offence and asked for leniency by allowing her to keep her licence.

Acting Senior Magistrate Shade Subair, however, handed Gibbons a mandatory $1,000 fine and ten demerit points and disqualified her from driving for 12 months.

Conditional discharge for cashier's dishonesty

A cashier who extended $1,850 worth of cellphone credit to her friend without receiving any payment was handed a conditional discharge when she appeared in Magistrates' Court.

"It was a dumb mistake on my part and I will never false account anything again," said Sharon Adams, 23, of Berkeley Road, in Pembroke.

Adams admitted to "knowing that wrongful credit of $1,850 was made to prepaid cellular account at Cellular One and dishonestly failed to take reasonable steps to cancel the charge".

The offence took place between January 9 and May 9 in St. George's, at the Southside Supermart.

The court heard that the store has a Cellular One prepaid vending machine and the amount of money entered to be processed determines the amount of minutes a customer receives.

It was brought to the Southside Supermart manager's attention that there were discrepancies with the machine's transactions. The manager then contacted Cellular One for more information.

The cellphone company revealed that there were 19 transactions, one for $50 and 18 for $100, which all went to one cell phone.

Police interviewed and cautioned the owner of the cell phone number and they admitted they were an acquaintance of Adams, an employee at the store.

In Magistrates' Court Adams said she was "remorseful, embarrassed and ashamed" for what she had done and said it was out of character.

She told the court that due to disorganised management, she had watched other employees get away with it and was tempted to do the same.

Acting Magistrate Tyrone Chin, ordered Adams to pay the full sum back as restitution and gave her a conditional discharge if she stays out of trouble for the next 12 months.

Heroin addict stole $3000+ of cigarettes

A heroin addict who admitted to stealing thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes has appeared in Magistrates' Court.

Shayne McRoy Smith, 44, of Fenton Drive, in Pembroke, pleaded guilty to unlawfully entering Noah's Ark and People's Pharmacy on August 29.

He also admitted to stealing $1,090 worth of materials on June 16 from Van Buren Gas Station, in Flatts, including cigarettes and 60 cigarette lighters and stealing $3,000 worth of cigarettes and other materials from Serpentine Liquors on Serpentine Road, in Hamilton, on June 16.

In total he pleaded guilty to eight offences between June 26 and August 29 when he appeared in Magistrates' Court.

He also confessed to seven other thefts including one at Blue Hole Hill Station, Collector's Hill gas station and Terceira's Shell Service Station between June 17 and August 25. The court heard the offences were drug induced and that Smith's drug of choice was heroine.

Acting Senior Magistrate Tyrone Chin ordered a BARC report and social inquiry report for Smith and ordered him to appear in drug court for observation.

Mr. Chin told him: "We are trying to help you get you straight, but sometimes your past can hinder you."

Smith will appear back in Magistrates' Court for mention on September 16.