yesterday after sentencing a Devonshire man to seven years in prison for burglarising three Paget residences in October.

Sir James, who was unimpressed with Frederick Gary Parsons' excuse that he was drunk the night he broke into the dwellings, said "the violation of a person's private residence'' is one of the most heinous of crimes.

"You get no sympathy from me,'' he told the 34-year-old, who has a history of theft and breaking and entering convictions.

Mr. Mark Pettingill, for the Crown, told the court that a total of $415.75 in coins and personal items were removed from three homes on Harbour Road, Paget, on the night of October 17 and the early morning hours of October 18.

Two of the residences were entered through closed but insecure windows and the third through a door which had its screen pushed in to gain access to its lock. A screwdriver left at the third dwelling was taken by Police for evidence.

Police on patrol saw Parsons riding a bicycle along Harbour Road, and noticed he was acting suspiciously. Parsons made a U-turn in the road, abandoned his cycle and began to run when he saw the officers.

He was pursued on foot until he fell over a small cliff into Hamilton Harbour and began to swim away.

Marine Police attended the scene and pulled Parsons out of the water. A bag he was carrying at the time sank, but a large amount of coins were found on his person.

Police divers later recovered the bag, which contained a pair of Reebok sneakers, a gold chain and more coins which had been taken from two of the homes.

Parsons admitted breaking into the residences in a Police statement. "When I committed those crimes, I was under the influence of alcohol,'' said Parsons.

"I didn't intend to break and enter those houses. It was just that I drank too much and got into trouble.'' Parsons said he had been consuming shots of Black Seal Rum with Elephant beer chasers.

"The rum couldn't have been too potent,'' said Sir James, pointing out how Parsons had managed to crawl through windows and swim a distance that night.

"You weren't full hot were you? Just enough to work up your nerve.'' The Chief Justice sentenced Parsons to seven years in prison on each count, to run concurrently.