Admitted addict Marvin Lambe was remanded in custody yesterday after his cousin, Rev. Vernon Lambe withdrew an offer of drug counselling.

It is understood Dr. Lambe only learned of yesterday's story and photograph of Lambe making an obscene gesture after he offered a helping hand to him in court.

On Tuesday Lambe, 36, of Radnor Close, Hamilton Parish, told Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner that "my cousin Vernon'', was "working on getting me in some programmes'' and he should not be held until he is dealt with by the Supreme Court.

He was held overnight at Westgate Correctional Facility and was returned to court for the regular Plea Court session for him to get Dr. Lambe to verify this.

Once Dr. Lambe and another minister familiar with Lambe's addiction spoke, Lambe was ordered to be freed -- pending on whether or not someone would act as a surety for his $3,000 bail.

But a short time later Mr. Lambe returned to the court to amend his statement and in the end Mr. Warner withdrew the offer of bail. Lambe had not yet been freed from prison.

At the end of the second hearing Mr. Warner said: "This court is not responsible for what The Royal Gazette says or does and the court can't attribute anything to you that you don't say.

"Rev. Lambe, you are in the business of working with people like this and he is your cousin, and it may be in the interests of the court to follow through with his case,'' he added.

"With regard to the previous decision,'' Mr. Warner concluded, "...I'll remand Mr. Lambe in custody until your next appearance on January 17.'' When he granted Lambe bail earlier, Mr. Warner -- after a half hour of submissions -- said: "I'm going to grant bail for $3,000 and surety in a like amount.

"You are to report to Hamilton Police Station on Mondays and Fridays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.,'' Mr. Warner continued. "And as a further condition of bail you are to reside in the (New Testament Church of God's) Mission Home Programme.

"Mr. Lambe, you know what my view is but I'm going to grant you bail -- you know what the deal is now,'' he added. "Crudely put, if you breach any of these conditions I'm going to put you up Westgate.'' When he was approached outside the Court, Dr. Lambe was reluctant to talk to The Royal Gazette .

But he gestured at a copy of the paper and said: "When I first stood before the Magistrate I knew nothing about this.

"The implication is that I approve of this behaviour -- it could be taken that way,'' he added.

Lambe has been charged with breaking into the Shelly Bay Laundromat in the nighttime between November 22 and 23 and stealing $200 and breaking into a Hamilton Parish home on Christmas Eve.

Police believe he stole an assortment of cookies, three gold pendants, two gold and rhinestone tie pins, one "thick'' solid gold bangle type bracelet, two gold chains, three ankle bracelets, $50 in cash, and clothing including a suede jacket totalling $3,015.