A drug addict went on a $12,000 spending spree after stealing a cheque book from a church, a court heard yesterday.

Rassol Kahlifah Ebbin admitted 33 charges, including burglary and numerous frauds, when he appeared at Magistrates' Court.

Prosecutor Cindy Clarke said he broke into St. Paul AME Church in Hamilton between September 20 and 21 and took the Bank of Butterfield cheque book from the Reverend Lanel Guyton's office.

Ebbin, who told the court he was a heroin and cocaine addict, then proceeded to write cheques totalling $12,353 from the account of the AME Ministerial Alliance, a fund mainly used by pastors for benevolent work in the community.

His purchases included a $4,000 Honda Titan motorcycle from HWP in Pembroke, stays at Brightside Guest Apartments and Clear View Suites and Villas in Hamilton Parish and eight food orders from Four Star Pizza totalling $579.

Ms Clarke said Ebbin also managed to dupe bank tellers at the Bank of Butterfield and Bank of Bermuda with his fraudulent cheques, which were signed "Reverend Charles Smith".

At Clear View Suites and Villas, Ebbin told staff he was being sponsored by the AME Church to attend school in America and that he was home for a visit.

During his stay there he wrote out two cheques to gain $350 cash and claimed his pastor would pay his $2,987 bill.

The 23-year-old, of Mullet Bay Road, St. George's, was eventually captured by Police at Clear View last Wednesday, October 4.

He told officers: "If you want the chequebook, it's in my bag."

Yesterday, he told Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner: "I do apologise. At the same time, I have a drug habit. I'm a heroin addict and a coke addict. I'm very sorry for the acts that I did do."

Mr. Warner adjourned sentencing until November 14 and asked for pre-sentence reports. He remanded Ebbin, who had a previous conviction from 2004 for unlawful entry, in custody until then.

Mr. Guyton told that the actual amount stolen from the church bank account was less than $5,000, which should be covered by insurance.

But he said the break-in and subsequent frauds had badly affected the church and its members because of the damage done to local businesses.

"I think the Bank of Butterfield is doing all they can to help us out," he said. "The sad part about it is that members of the community were affected. It really hurts us in that respect. The bad part about it was that these businesses, that this guy went up to and deceived, were hurt as a result."

The owner of Clear View ? who asked not to be named ? said Ebbin had appeared entirely plausible when he told his story to staff. She said she was alerted to the fact that he was a crook by Four Star Pizza.

"We just thank God that we are rid of him," she said.