shown mercy by a court.

Magistrates' Court heard how Alfred Esdaille, 30, took a small fortune from the Watlington Water Works Ltd. in less than a month.

But, after hearing that Esdaille had turned himself in and took out a bank loan to pay back the cash, Senior Magistrate the Wor. William Francis suspended a six-month jail sentence for two years and imposed two years' probation.

Esdaille, of Wellington Slip Road, St. George's, pleaded guilty to 16 separate charges of theft and fraud, committed in September and October.

Sentence on the father-of-three was deferred from an earlier appearance for reports.

Mr. Francis told Esdaille: "I hope that what I have done will settle things.

It shows what I think of what I have seen and heard from the probation reports and of the efforts you have made at compensation.

"But also it go some way, I hope, towards giving you a strong motivation, for a while anyway, to stay on the straight and narrow, realising what will happen if you fall.'' And Mr. Francis warned the defendant: "One slip -- if you are caught with drugs or anything like that or caught shoplifting -- you will get six months and whatever sentence there is for the new offence.'' He added: "I hope this has taught you that once you fall like this you have to be careful for the rest of your life.'' Defence lawyer Juan Wolffe told the court that the offences were caused by Esdaille's drugs problem -- an addiction to crack cocaine.

He said: "He was recovering and receiving treatment prior to the offence and was actually clean for 18 months.

"All those concerned with him view this as an unfortunate and grave lapse. He pleaded guilty and went over and beyond that -- he turned himself in to the police. But for that the offences may not have been discovered.'' Mr. Wolffe added that Esdaille had received "overwhelming'' support from his family and that his former employers had also expressed sadness at Esdaille's fall from grace.

The defence lawyer said: "He has extreme and deep remorse and regret for what has occurred. He has disappointed his family members, but more importantly, he has disappointed himself.'' Mr. Wolffe added that Esdaille was now receiving treatment at the Montrose drugs clinic.

He said: "He is an active participant in the programme at Montrose and there is no reason to believe he will shirk his responsibility in terms of treatment.'' MAN CAUGHT USING COCAINE CTS Man caught using cocaine Police caught a man in the act of using cocaine when they went inside a garage, a court heard.

Senior Magistrate, the Wor. Will Francis, was told by prosecutor, Sgt. Donald Grant, that Shawn D. Martin, was inside the Pembroke building kneeling and holding a pipe.

On a windowsill, said. Sgt. Grant, Police found a white paper twist which contained cocaine.

Martin, 18, of 4 Friswell's Hill, Pembroke, pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine as well as being in possession of a pipe intended for use with a controlled drug.

The cocaine weighed 0.013 of a gram and Martin was fined a total of $300.