Man charged with sexually touching girl

A 25-year-old Warwick man appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday accused of sexually touching a young girl.

The man was charged with two counts of sexually touching a girl under the age of 14 on July 16 this year in Devonshire.

Neither he nor the victim can be named for legal reasons.

Because the charges must be faced in the Supreme Court, the accused was not asked to enter a plea.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner ordered the man to be held in remand. He is expected to return to court on August 30 for mention.

Cindy Clarke was Crown counsel for the case.

Gasoline jumps to 181.2 cents per litre

The maximum price for gas has risen by 1.6 cents per litre, the Ministry of Finance announced yesterday.

The maximum price of diesel and kerosene were also increased by 3.7 cents per litre and 3.8 cents per litre respectively.

With the rise taken into account, a litre of gasoline at the pump will cost 181.2 cents, a litre of diesel will cost 163.6 cents and a litre of kerosene will cost 136.1 cents.

'A few shots and a beer' earn $1,000 fine

A 30-year-old St. George's man was banned from the road after he admitted drunk driving over the weekend.

Marcus Bean pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court yesterday to riding a motorcycle while impaired.

Crown counsel Cindy Clarke said uniformed Police officers were on Front Street when they saw a Honda Scoopy drive through a red light around 9 p.m. on Saturday.

The officers followed the vehicle along Queen Street and Church Street and noticed that the rider was steering erratically and overtaking other vehicles.

Police stopped the rider on Cedar Avenue and noticed he was having difficulty standing.

Asked if he had been drinking, Bean told officers that he had "a few shots and a beer".

A breath test at the Hamilton Police Station showed Bean had 124 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, almost double the legal limit of 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner banned Bean from operating all vehicles for 12 months and fined him $1,000.

Stolen dog returned to its owner

A stolen dog has been returned to its home and a 51-year-old man arrested in connection with the theft.

The dog went missing from the Blue Hole Hill, Hamilton Parish home on Saturday.

The pet's owner left her home around 10 a.m. When she returned four hours later, she discovered that someone had broken into her home and stolen the dog.

A Police spokesman said yesterday: "A man has been arrested in connection with this matter and the dog has been returned to its rightful owner."

Camera, cash stolen in burglary

A gold camera and a quantity of cash were stolen from a Southampton home over the weekend.

The victim told Police she left her Rockaway Drive home around 7 p.m. When she came back a few hours later the items were gone.

A Police spokesman said that an investigation into the break-in is underway.

Police issue warning after spate of burglaries

A spate of burglaries in the East End has led Police to issue another warning that residents secure their homes when empty.

Small, valuable items have been stolen, said Police Inspector Andy Morgan.

"In each case the residences have been unoccupied but on some occasions left insecure," he said.

"Small electronic goods like iPods, in addition to jewellery, are mainly being taken.

"Residents are encouraged to secure their homes and put valuables out of sight."

Anyone who has any information about the burglaries is asked to contact the Eastern Criminal Investigation Unit on 293-2222.

Applications sought for RenRe scholarship

Students are being invited to apply for a $25,000 scholarship being offered by RenaissanceRe this October.

The award covers tuition at an accredited institution for a period of up to four years.

The recipient is not required to work for the company upon graduation.

RenRe chief executive officer Neill Currie said the scholarship intends to guide young Bermudians toward ideals held by the company.

"Our hope is that these outstanding students will contribute very positively both to the workforce and the community upon their return to Bermuda," Mr. Currie said.

Emily Dunne, 18, is the most recent recipient of the scholarship. She is about to embark on an engineering degree at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States.

The Bermuda High School student was selected from more than 100 applicants based on excellence displayed in academics, sports and voluntary work.

Applications for the 2011 RenaissanceRe scholarship can be found at www.renre.com.