assaulting a female visitor as he made his escape.

Thirty-four-year-old Junior Maxwell Ming, who was at Hamilton Police Station on Monday afternoon on an unrelated matter, bolted from the station onto Reid Street.

With Police in pursuit, Ming knocked a female visitor to the ground.

He was caught minutes later in a building next to Quality Dry Cleaners on Reid Street.

Yesterday, Ming appeared confused as he stood before Senior Magistrate Will Francis to answer the charge of unlawfully assaulting a female cruise ship passenger.

The visitor later appeared in court with her son who was charged with two others for drug offences.

When Mr. Francis read out the charge, Ming put up his hand as and said he did not understand what Mr. Francis was saying and that he did not know what was going on.

"No wait, see what happened was I was at the station and a Police officer granted me a call to my brother so that he could sign me out,'' Ming explained. "Then they said I was being remanded and I got scared and ran. I knocked down that woman and that's what they're calling assault.'' Ming then repeated that he did not understand what was happening and that he wanted to call his mother or a friend so that they could get him a lawyer.

But on the advice of duty counsel Peter Farge he pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Mr. Francis then remanded him in custody for mention on July 22.