A Southampton man claims he clambered ten feet up to the balcony of a South Shore hotel room ? in order to take a bath. In Supreme Court yesterday Coolridge Winslow Eve, 46, pleaded not guilty to stealing $1,000 from a visitor?s wallet left in a room at The Reefs on April 14, 2004.

Eve was arrested after fingerprints were discovered by Police on the railing of the lower floor balcony.

But in court yesterday Eve said he did not know anything about the allegations. He said he intended to get into the room once he climbed the balcony, but only to take a bath, not to steal.

?It was my intention to go down there and take a shower or bath,? Eve said. ?I climbed up on the balcony but once I was on the top of the balcony I got a funny feeling. I had a change of heart. I climbed back off the balcony.?

Eve said the place where he was living in at the time of the alleged break-in had no bath or shower.

?I can?t honestly say where I accessed the balcony from but I can honestly say I climbed up and climbed down,? Eve said. Fingerprint expert Peter Downs told the court that one of four prints found on the balcony rail definitely belonged to the defendant.

?A pair of prints had 30 matching ridge characteristics,? Mr. Downs said.

?There is no minimum number of matching characteristics. Once an expert is happy the two match, then it is without doubt it is the same person. There is only one person on the whole earth with that print.?

In her closing arguments, Crown counsel Oonagh Vaucrossen said Eve had to give his ?incredible explanation? because his fingerprint was uncovered by Police.

?If you need to take a bath there are other places to go,? she said. ?There is no need to climb over the railing of a hotel.?

However, defence lawyer Craig Attridge asked the jury if they would bet their life savings on his client?s guilt.

?There is no evidence Mr. Eve broke into room 351,? he said. ?There is no evidence of him stealing anything at all.?

He said no fingerprints were found on the screen door, the stolen wallet was never recovered and the clothes which the hotel guest saw the intruder wearing were never found. ?Two of the fingerprints could have been put there by anyone.?

Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves is expected to give his summation today.