A man who stole four copies of The Royal Gazette to read the job advertisements remained unemployed – and was $200 poorer – after being fined yesterday.

Eugene Ming, 53, pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court to taking the papers from the doorstep of the Stationery Store, in Reid Street, on July 11.

According to Senior Crown counsel Carrington Mahoney, a newspaper delivery driver witnessed the theft at 5.30 a.m.

"He told him to leave the papers alone, and he said 'I'm just going to take four' and walked off with them," reported Mr. Mahoney.

The van driver called the Police, who apprehended Ming on nearby Burnaby Street a short time later with the papers still in his hands. He told the officers he didn't have any money to pay for the papers, which cost 90 cents each. In an interview when he returned to the Police Station on September 16, Ming, of Happy Valley Road, Pembroke, said: "I got the paper because I was looking for work at the time."

He has previous convictions, and is currently unemployed.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner ticked Ming off for apparently finding the case funny, asking: "What makes you think you can walk around taking people's papers?"

The defendant replied: "It was a way of helping me find a job. There's ads in the paper from people that need workers."

"A job at Westgate?!" the Magistrate quipped in response, meting out the fine with 20 days in jail for non-payment.

Bill Zuill, editor of The Royal Gazette, said after the case: "Even though the cover price is low, it takes a great deal of effort to produce The Royal Gazette every day and when people steal newspapers, that affects the company's ability to do business. I think it's important to make it clear that we will prosecute even for what seems like a small amount of money."

However, Mr. Zuill added: "Certainly we're happy to see the gentleman wanted to use our job ads in order to pursue employment and we wish him well with that."