A Pembroke man was remanded in custody after pleading guilty to using the account of a former employer to purchase more than $2,500 of liquor.

Wayne Eugene Smith, 42, from Mission Lane, pleaded guilty to 19 charges of dishonesty.

Crown counsel Takiyah Burgess told Magistrates' Court that between July 23 and August 22, Smith charged $4,782.85 to the account of Consort Cruises, which had employed Smith until July 19.

Smith used the account to purchase $2,636.60 worth of liquor from Gosling's, and spent the remaining $2,146.25 on various items from PW Marine, including jackets, bilge pumps and dozens of packages of batteries.

Noticing the suspicious purchases, a PW Marine employee contacted Consort Cruises, who confirmed that Smith no longer worked there. While Police were investigating, Smith entered PW Marine and was arrested.

When questioned, Smith admitted purchasing the items on the account, and told officers he sold the merchandise to feed his drug habit.

Smith apologised yesterday, saying: "I was off drugs for six years, but I had a relapse. Given the chance, I can pay him back the money."

Smith was previously sentenced to eight years for armed robbery in Bermuda. He also served ten years in a Texas prison for a string of drug charges.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner noted that, despite a history of dishonesty and robbery, Smith had not appeared before the court for serious offences since 2001.

"Have you been doing better, or have you just not gotten caught?" he asked.

Smith responded that he had quit drugs, but became "stressed out" due to work and relationship problems and relapsed.

Mr. Warner said that he was well aware of Smith's "fight with the devil". He ordered that Smith be remanded in custody until October 6 so that a Social Inquiry Report and a drug assessment could be performed.