A violent criminal who robbed the Bank of Bermuda of $5,000 threatened yesterday to kill Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves after he sent him to Supreme Court to be sentenced.

Junius Caines, who has a string of convictions for violence, appeared for sentencing at Magistrates' Court yesterday for robbing the Bank's Bermuda Home office on Bermudiana Road in August.

Caines, 32, of no fixed abode, also pleaded guilty to trying to con the Bank of Bermuda in Front Street out of $1,000 on August 7 by trying to cash a stolen cheque and impersonating another man. When a cashier refused, he came back in later with an umbrella and threatened to kill her.

Mr. Greaves yesterday refused a request by Caines' lawyer Larry Mussenden that he be given a psychiatric report and said Magistrates' Court did not have the power to jail the defendant for long enough. So he remanded Caines in custody to be sentenced at Supreme Court.

As Caines was leaving the court, he turned to Mr. Greaves and said: "Don't feel sorry for me, feel sorry for that man when I come back and kill him. I'm going to kill you."

Mr. Mussenden had pleaded for Caines to be treated at the drugs court, but Mr. Greaves said this was only for people who were not convicted for violent offences and Caines could get psychiatric treatment at Westgate Correctional Facility.

Mr. Greaves added that Caines had previous convictions for several assaults on Police, assault with intent to rob, violently resisting arrest, affray, resisting prison officers, assaulting prison officers, destruction of property, and a not guilty plea to stalking someone.

A probation officer's report on Caines concluded he was not suitable for a community sentence because of his violent record and the high risk of him reoffending.

Caines had also refused a psychiatric assessment at Westgate, he added.

Mr. Greaves said: "The time has to come when a court has to decide between the balance of rehabilitating a defendant and protecting the community, and when the scale weighs in favour of protecting society, the court must exercise its duty to protect society."

Caines told the court, he had spent five years in jail "watching blue (pornographic) movies" and was drugged up to keep quiet.

"I am not violent, they put the anger in me," he added.

Mr. Mussenden said Caines was "crying out" for proper treatment.

But Mr. Greaves said to Caines: "I am satisfied in all the circumstances that I am short of sufficient power to sentence you today and I am going to commit you to Supreme Court."

In most circumstances magistrates are restricted to sentences in prison of up to one year, including violent crimes.

But depending on the previous record of the convicted person and the nature of the crime they do have the discretion to remit the matter to the Supreme Court for sentencing where the penalties are higher and longer.