James Alan (Spook) Dill was jailed for ten years yesterday for the manslaughter of American drug dealer Stanley Lee in Lagoon Park three years ago.

Dill was cleared of murder at the end of the marathon four month trial in March, but convicted by the jury of the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Dill drove Robert Blair Tucker, who was convicted of the murder, to the fatal scene at Ireland Island, Sandys, and handed him the knife he used to stab Mr. Lee to death on July 1, 2001 after a drug deal went wrong.

And after the killing, he wrapped up the knife in a t-shirt and disposed if it in a dumpster in Warwick.

Crown counsel Juan Wolffe said Dill, 53, of no fixed abode, had no shown no remorse and felt he did not bear any responsibility for the death.

He asked for him to be jailed for between ten and 12 years, but Dill's lawyer Elizabeth Christopher asked for him to be released because he had been in custody for three years and for the self-confessed crack cocaine addict to be placed in a drug programme.

Sentencing Dill at Supreme Court yesterday, Justice Norma Wade-Miller, said: "There is no doubt you carried out an unlawful act that resulted in the death of the deceased.

"I do not accept Ms Christopher's submission that the appropriate sentence is the three years."

She also ordered Dill to be put on a structured drug treatment programme.

Tucker, 36, of Astwood Close, Warwick, is serving a life sentencing after being convicted of Mr. Lee's murder, but Terranz Sidney (Monster) Smith walked free after he was cleared of murder.

Mr. Wolffe said yesterday: "The defendant knew that Tucker, the convicted co-accused, had lured the victim to Lagoon Park for the purpose of killing him.

"He drove Tucker to the place, and took a knife from a butcher's block in Tucker's apartment and handed the knife to Tucker at Lagoon Park. He instructed Tucker to change his shirt afterwards because of the blood.

"There was no evidence of provocation or self-defence. This is not a case of a minimum role played by Dill in what can only be described as a gruesome attack on an individual who did not provoke the defendant in any way, shape or form, and certainly did not make any attempt to assault him, so a defence of self-defence cannot be supported.

"The defendant unnecessarily protracted the defence by giving spurious evidence. He said he knew the victim, he said the victim was killed at Lagoon Park and that he was stabbed by a knife that he carried."

But Dill and Ms Christopher had sought to challenge the veracity of the evidence of a long-list of witnesses.

"The jury rejected the defendant's version that he was an innocent bystander who did not know the victim was going to be killed.

"While the Crown accepts that Dill can put forth a defence, it does not mean a trial should be unnecessarily protracted by issues which are clearly not issues, particularly in relation to the unnecessary cross-examination of witnesses.

"It begs the question why. Defences should not be launched just to try it on. Mr. Dill has still not shown any regret or remorse for what he has taken place and it is unequivocally clear from the Social Inquiry Report that he does not have any regret or remorse and that he has a high risk of reoffending."

Ms Christopher took strong exception to the claim that Dill was trying it on, noting that she had run a successful defence which had resulted in her client being acquitted of murder. And he had not had the chance to plead to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Ms Christopher said Dill ? who has a long list of previous convictions for drug offences, dishonesty and breaking and entering ? had never been charged with violence before.

Dill had taken the knife to Lagoon Park to sample the drugs which were to be bought, she said.

Ms Christopher said Tucker asked Dill to get a knife in front of Mr. Lee (also known as Sean Russells).

"Earlier in the day, Russells and Tucker had fought. Things were hot. When these three men went to Lagoon park, Mr. Russells was in no less a position than Mr. Dill to know what was going to happen," she said.

Rejecting claims that the defence was spurious, she said the jury had acquitted Dill of the murder charge.

And her cross-examination of former Government pathologist had elicited the information that Mr. Lee may have died from injuries inflicted by one person.

She said Dill had been co-operative and honest throughout the trial, even admitting he disposed of the knife.

Dill's involvement in Mr. Lee's death was "totally out of character".

Pleading for him only to be incarcerated for time served, she said: "He is not a danger. He is a man who has never lifted a finger in an act of violence to anyone".

When asked if he had anything to say before sentencing, Dill said: "I am sorry for what happened. It should never really have happened."

The trial heard Mr. Lee. Mr. Smith, Tucker and Dill were involved in importing cocaine, but relations between the American and Tucker deteriorated after it was discovered a batch of cocaine was of bad quality.