Pembroke man admitted to stealing it in Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Kevin Sinclair Davis, of Deepdale Road East, was fined $500 after he pleaded guilty to stealing a JVC portable stereo worth $495 from the Ministry of Education.

Senior Magistrate Will Francis heard the stereo was stolen between November 14 and 16 from a classroom at the school.

Police saw Davis, 37, a painter, on November 16 with an object wrapped in a plastic trash bag while he was riding a motorcycle near Parson's Road.

Duty counsel Elizabeth Christopher told Mr. Francis that Davis had just found the stereo in bushes outside the school and wanted to see if it was working.

And he told Mr. Francis: "I ran from Police because I had warrants. I told them I found it and the guy punched me in the mouth.'' Davis has until March 31 to pay the fine.

VISITOR AVOIDS PAYING FINE CTS Visitor avoids paying fine A tourist saved himself from paying a large fine in Magistrates' Court when he corrected a Police report that he imported a whopping 81 grams of cocaine.

Crown counsel Larry Mussenden apologised to the court for not correcting a typographical error in the case of James Strong, a crane driver from Coral Springs, Florida.

Senior Magistrate Will Francis fined Strong $400 for possessing cocaine at the Bermuda International Airport at 4.30 p.m. on November 14.

Strong, 35, was searched on arrival from the US and a condom containing a white powder was found in a pocket.

It was later found to be .81 grams of 77 percent pure cocaine.

Mr. Mussenden said Strong told Police "it was a stupid thing to do'' when the powder was found.

Mr. Francis remarked that Strong was "quite right'' in correcting Mr.

Mussenden and added: "Because 81 grams is into the big leagues of drugs!''