A Supreme Court trial lasted barely 15 minutes yesterday, when an alleged wounding victim did not turn up to give evidence.

Puisne Judge Charles Etta-Simmons directed the jury to find Tariq Shakenn White not guilty.

White, 26, of Summit View Drive, Hamilton Parish, denied a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm against Gerald Outerbridge in Hamilton Parish on August 5, 2004.

Detective Constable Cheryl Beach, the officer in charge of the case, told the court attempts to get Mr. Outerbridge to meet with prosecutors ahead of the trial had proved difficult.

When she tracked him down and tried to take him to Hamilton Police Station to sign a subpoena, a writ ordering a witness to give evidence in court, he refused to co-operate.

Attempts by Police to locate Mr. Outerbridge at his North Shore home were then unsuccessful, Det. Con. Beach told the court.

Crown counsel Wayne Caines offered no further evidence in the case, before Mrs. Justice Etta-Simmons directed the jury to find White not guilty. The panel had been sworn in a matter of minutes when she told them: ?The complainant in this case refuses to come to court to testify against the defendant.?

The judge said that the jury might feel the case had been a waste of time and taxpayers? money. ?I feel that way,? she added.

Trespasser jailed for three months

A man has been jailed for three months for making use of an empty house while the owner was away.

Dion Lavaughn Burgess, 40, of Cedar Park Road, Devonshire, pleaded guilty to being a trespasser at the property in Vesey Street, Devonshire, without permission between April and May this year.

He also admitted dishonestly using electricity at the property during the same period when he appeared at Magistrates? Court.

Prosecutor Anthony Blackman told the court that the home owner had left the premises in the middle of March, turning off the electricity. But she returned on May 6 to collect some items that she had left. When she entered the property she noticed a stove burner had been moved and placed on the kitchen table and was plugged in.

The woman also checked the living room and discovered the furniture had been re-arranged and she could hear a radio playing in the bedroom. Mr. Blackman said: ?She assumed there was someone there and went to a neighbour to call the Police. When Police arrived they found the defendant in the house and he was arrested.?

In a subsequent interview with Police, Burgess admitted he had been at the house without permission, had been frequenting the area for two weeks and admitted seeing no-trespassing signs, the court was told. In mitigation Burgess told Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner: ?I was in prison and I asked my cousin ? the girl?s brother ? if I could stay at the house for two weeks until my mother comes back because she is away.

?The electricity was already on. I?m truly sorry for this incident. It will never happen again.?

Mr. Warner sent Burgess to prison for three months for unlawfully being in the house. He made no separate order regarding the dishonest use of electricity, but told Burgess: ?You have to stop walking around and doing this foolishness.?

Locked-up man?s frustrations boil over

A man told a court his frustrations at being locked up led him to kick and damage a cell door.

Michael Eugene Douglas, 25, of Narrows Lane, St. George?s, had been placed in Police custody over the weekend for another matter.

However, as there was no room for him at the Hamilton Police Station, he was taken to the Bermuda Regiment in Warwick where he was placed in a jail cell. Douglas, a self employed painter, appeared at Magistrates? Court and admitted to kicking and damaging the cell door, causing $150 damage. He said: ?I was put in custody for a matter I did not do and then I kicked the door out of frustration. I apologise and will pay for the damage.?

Douglas was given a $500 fine by Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner, which must be paid by June 30 .

Motorcyclist rode dangerously to avoid Police

An uninsured driver who did a U-turn on his bike after spotting Police and then drove dangerously in an attempt to avoid being stopped has been fined $1,850 and banned from driving any vehicle for a year.

Alijah Dill, of Kim Street, Pembroke, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, riding an unlicensed motorcycle and not having third party insurance when he appeared at Magistrates? Court on Friday.

The court heard that Dill, 20, was spotted on January 18 by Police officers riding along Parsons Road before doing a sudden U-turn as he approached the officers. Police then pursued Dill and saw him cut in and out of traffic in a dangerous manner and in an area close to a school. Eventually Police were able to force him to stop in Crisson Avenue. For dangerous driving Dill was fined $600 and disqualified from driving all vehicles for a year by Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner. He was fined a further $250 for riding an unlicensed motorcycle and $1,000 for having no third party insurance.

Police dog alerted to drugs on Californiaman

A California man caught trying to import cannabis into Bermuda has been fined $1,000 at Magistrates? Court.

Geoffrey Scott Walbridge, 49, of Marina Del Ray, Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to importing 3.30 grams cannabis on May 27. The defendant arrived at Bermuda International Airport on a flight from Atlanta. He cleared immigration and collected his baggage but attracted the attention of a Police dog trained to sniff out narcotics.

Walbridge was escorted by officers to an inspection room and asked if he was in possession of narcotics. The defendant initially denied that he was. However, officers scanned his wallet with an ION scanner and evidence of drugs was found. Walbridge was informed that he was being subjected to a personal search. He then placed his hand inside of his pants and retrieved a clear plastic zip lock bag containing a plant-like material.

Appearing in court Walbridge apologised for his offence and for inconveniencing officers. Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner fined him $1,000.