Former international cross country runner Jamal Hart was yesterday cleared of drug smuggling in a verdict that sparked jubilant celebrations at Supreme Court.

Mr. Hart, 38, had endured two trials ? the first jury failing to reach a verdict ? since his arrest in July 2003 over 24 pounds of cannabis discovered in a freezer at Hamilton Docks. He faced a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if found guilty.

A crowd of Mr. Hart's family members and friends packed the court's public gallery to hear his name cleared yesterday evening.

They whooped, danced, cried, prayed, and rushed to embrace the shell-shocked Mr. Hart as he walked from court a free man.

Amid the celebrations he declared: "I'm looking forward to getting on with my life."

Asked how he had felt at the prospect of a potential life sentence hanging over his head, Mr. Hart, from Southampton, replied: "Due to my faith and beliefs in God, I never let that affect or worry me too much.

"I know what I did and didn't do. The truth will set you free.

"I want to give all the thanks and praise and glory to God for guiding and protecting me during this ordeal, and to my family and friends that have stuck by me and supported me."

During the retrial, which began in mid-January, Crown counsel Graveney Bannister alleged that Mr. Hart either knew or suspected the cannabis was in the freezer. The drugs were said during the original trial to have a street value topping half a million dollars.

They were discovered by Customs officers who inspected the chest freezer at Hamilton Docks after it arrived on the cargo ship on July 13 2003.

Mr. Hart, who graduated from the American International College, Massachusetts with a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management, was Logistics Manager for New Venture Holding Company, Southside in July 2003. This, he told the jury, was the umbrella for a group of local companies including HWP, Elite and Aircare. He testified that he arranged for the freezer to be brought to Bermuda in a HWP shipping consignment for an old friend, Michael "Mikey" Campbell, who once lived in Bermuda but is now based in New Jersey.

Mr. Hart said Mr. Campbell requested the freezer be delivered to a Roger Smith in Somerset and he made arrangements for it to be trucked there. However, he was arrested by the Police shortly after the appliance was loaded onto a truck.

In an impassioned speech to the jury at the close of his evidence on Thursday, Mr. Hart said: "At no time did I ever know that there were any drugs in the freezer, or did I ever suspect the drugs to be in the freezer."

The following day, the 12-person panel found him not guilty of importation after deliberating for two hours and 20 minutes. Speaking afterwards, Mr. Hart told he resigned from New Venture after his arrest, and has worked as a taxi driver for the past three years. He had to surrender his passport at the start of the criminal proceedings, meaning he could not leave the Island.

"I have lots of friends and family overseas that I have not been able to see for three years. I want to go (abroad) and regroup and re-energise some time in the near future, and in that time frame I will determine what I want to do going forward," he said.

Mr. Hart had a long wait to see his name cleared. His first trial, which lasted a month, was delayed through the illnesses of two lawyers. It resulted in a hung jury in June last year, with the retrial beginning in mid-January this year. He paid tribute to the three lawyers who handled his defence at various stages ? the late Richard Hector QC, plus Victoria Pearman and Charles Richardson. Mr. Richardson conducted the defence in the retrial, earning the nickname "pitbull" from his client for his robust handling of the case.

Mr. Hart's mother, Thelma Hart, 58, attended all the court hearings to support her son ? one of three brothers. Celebrating the verdict, she said: "I'm happy, blessed and thankful to the good Lord."

Reflecting on the case, she said: "It's had a great impact on us emotionally and financially, but he has a strong family."