granted a conditional discharge by the Senior Magistrate.

Murray James O'Brien had just pleaded guilty before Archibald Warner to assaulting Maria Manuella O'Brien on Saturday evening in a sustained argument while he was drinking alcohol.

Crown counsel Oonagh Goodred said the O'Briens had married in 1981 and he had been violent and verbally abusive toward his wife ever since. Around 8 p.m. on Saturday, O'Brien, 53, of Market Lane, had become drunk and verbally abused the woman, calling her a "white b****''.

It continued intermittently for several hours in an "alcohol-fuelled demeanour'' which included an open handed-slap to the face.

Ms Goodred said Police were called and in the time it took for officers to arrive, O'Brien scratched his own face.

When Police arrived O'Brien pointed out his "own'' scratches which he claimed to have been inflicted by his wife. He also said Mrs. O'Brien had been verbally abusing him and he only raised his hand to stop her from hitting him.

A St. Brendan's Hospital nurse's aide, O'Brien told Mr. Warner: "A lot of what she (Ms Goodred) said isn't true.

"She (Mrs. O'Brien) went to scratch my face and I went to push her away.

We've been married 18 years and we never had any arguments,'' he added.

Conditional discharges are held on file for one year and then deleted unless the person is convicted of any other crimes in that time.

WOMAN `SHORT-CHANGED' FOR `SERVICES RENDERED' CTS Woman `short-changed' for `services rendered' Jacqueline Dillas was convinced she had been short-changed for "services rendered''.

Determined to get even, she stole cash and a watch from Waterlot Inn chef Peter Joseph Buhl, a court heard.

On Monday, Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner said the theft -- and other offences -- warranted a social inquiry report.

Mr. Warner remanded Dillas in custody until next month after she pleaded guilty to two counts of breaking and entering and theft and one count of stealing cash.

Dillas, 35, of Railway Trail, Southampton, also denied a charge of stealing $650 from Cleo Burchall. She will be tried on another date.

She had originally pleaded guilty to the charge, but once prosecutor Oonagh Goodred read out the "facts'', Dillas claimed to have stolen crack cocaine from Mr. Burchall.

Dillas -- who has 62 previous convictions for stealing -- admitted stealing an unknown quantity of cash and a $2,650 Christopher Columbus gold watch from Mr.

Buhl.

Ms Goodred said on December 3 last year, Dillas entered an office at the Waterlot and began a conversation with Mr. Buhl and others.

The pair left the restaurant and went to his dormitory room.

After a short time, Dillas left the building, and the man discovered his watch missing and contacted Police.

Dillas was arrested on March 27 and admitted stealing the watch and money but told Police she took the items as "payment for services rendered''. Ms Goodred said Dillas explained: "I told him nothing less than $50 and he still short-changed me. As he went to the bathroom I took the money. I threw the watch in the trees.'' She told Mr. Warner: "I'm very sorry. He made the offer to me to go up to his room to have sex. He didn't pay me and I believe that it rightfully belonged to me.'' Mr. Warner responded: "Ms Goodred, she may have a defence. That's a classic claim of rights (to payment).'' Dillas also admitted breaking and entering Room 21 of the Newstead Guest House and stealing $400 cash from American visitor Richard Knap. Ms Goodred said Dillas gained entry to the room by posing as a chambermaid needing to exchange towels at 3.30 a.m.

Once in Mr. Knap's room, Dillas dropped off towels and ran out with the man's pants. She turned herself in to Police on Friday.

She also admitted stealing a purse containing $200 from Gail Johnson who left her purse on the bar to go to the restroom of Paw Paws Restaurant on May 18.

`SERIOUS' TRAFFIC OFFENCES LEAD TO FINES TOTALLING $4,200 CTS `Serious' traffic offences lead to fines totalling $4,200 Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner slapped a total of $4,200 in fines and a year's driving ban on a Warwick man for "serious'' traffic offences.

Mr. Warner asked David Leroy Albuoy: "What's going to happen when you do something foolish like this riding without a licence and insurance and drunk and you kill somebody? "Do you think it's a joke?'' Mr. Warner asked. "This is serious. The maximum fine for riding without insurance is $5,000 and you've been doing it while driving impaired.

"You'd better come up with the money today. You don't pay your fines and you don't show up to court when you're supposed to. The discretion (to grant time to pay a fine) just blew away!'' All $5,400 in fines were to be paid by the end of business on Monday. It is understood the fines were not paid and Albuoy was committed to prison.

Albuoy, 30, of Spice Hill Road, pleaded guilty on Monday to riding a motorcycle on July 8 while having three times the limit of alcohol in his blood. He also admitted riding the unlicensed and uninsured cycle, not having a valid driver's licence and speeding at 57 kph.

Albuoy also pleaded guilty to riding another cycle while almost three times over the limit on January 24.

Mr. Warner called the production of the earlier impaired riding charge after Albuoy was convicted of Saturday's incident a "lucky break''. If the January 24 charge was presented before the other offence, there would have been a "reckonable'' conviction which would have increased the penalty for the most recent charge.

On January 25, Albuoy pleaded not guilty to impaired driving and failed to attend to a trial date in April, but admitted not having a valid licence, not being insured and riding an uninsured cycle.

He was fined a total of $1,150 for those offences which had not been paid by Monday. Police stopped Albuoy for speeding at 57 kph on January 24 in Southampton and an alco-analyser test revealed he had 227 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrammes of alcohol.

In Saturday's incident, Police stopped him on Marsh Folly Road and Dutton Avenue for speeding at 70 kph and driving on the wrong side of the road.

An alco-analyser test showed he had 247 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. He was fined $650 and banned from driving all motor vehicles for one year for the July 8 incident, and $1,500 for not having insurance. Mr. Warner fined him $200 for speeding and $200 for no licence, and another $700 for the unlicensed cycle.

For January's drunk-driving incident, Albuoy was fined $1,000 and also banned for one year, which Mr. Warner allowed to run concurrently to the other ban.