A man accused of breaking into a house while the occupants were at home continued to defend himself yesterday at his Supreme Court trial.

Anthony (Timmy) Webster Swan, 42, of Woodlawn Road, Sandys, is charged with breaking and entering, stealing a ladies Citizen watch and $60 in cash from Michael and Julie Stephens' Fairylands home.

Swan opted to defend himself, instead of employing a lawyer, since going on trial on Wednesday.

The court heard how Mr. Stephens had been sitting on the couch watching television in April of last year and heard a noise outside as he turned the TV off to go to bed.

The house owner said he heard a crumpling of paper and then turned to see a silhouette of a man in the kitchen.

Moments later, the intruder passed by him in the house and ran out the sliding glass door.

Yesterday, Swan took to the stand to deny his involvement in the burglary and said he believed the Police had got the wrong man.

He said: "I don't understand that if I passed only six feet in front of the man, he could not identify me in the identity parade.

"He (Mr. Stephens) said that he did not see the man who broke into his house."

Swan told the eight man four woman jury that when he was arrested he had no idea as to why he had been detained.

He said: "On the first night I saw no one. On the second day I was interviewed.

"There was no talk about fingerprints. On the third day I was in a Police line up.

"I went to leave after that, but they then told me that they had fingerprint evidence."

Crown counsel Anthony Blackman asked Swan if he had ever visited the Stephens' residence, to which he replied `no'.

The court heard that Swan had fired his lawyer Richard Horseman in August of last year because of a difference of opinion.

And Swan told the court he did not have a chance to contact his witnesses because he had been held on remand.

But Mr. Blackman suggested to Swan that he had had the benefit of counsel who would have advised him on how to call his alibi witnesses.

The fingerprint evidence came from a former Bermuda Policeman who is now head of the Gwent Police Fingerprint Bureau in Wales, Paul Lindsay Roberts.

He found a suspect fingerprint on a Pyrex dish at the complainants' home and, when he took fingerprints from Swan, they were found to be a perfect match.

Swan questioned the validity of the fingerprint and asked why the Pyrex dish had since been returned to Mr. and Mrs. Stephens.

But the Police officer, who was in court yesterday to offer his expert opinion on the fingerprint, replied: "If I found fingerprints on a door or a window, I wouldn't keep them."

Then Swan asked Mr. Roberts whether he had ever picked up a Pyrex dish with one finger?

Mr. Roberts said: "I have never tried."

The case continues today before Assistant Justice Charles Etta Simmons.