jury acquitted him of two charges involving cocaine.

After Puisne Judge the Hon. Mrs. Justice Wade's three-and-a-half-hour summation and instruction on the law, the six-man six-woman jury took two hours to return unanimous verdicts on both charges.

Wellman, 38, of Cooks Hill Sandys, was charged with possessing and handling $32,000 worth of cocaine with intent to supply.

His ex-girlfriend Verna Lee Walker 34, was also charged but her case was thrown out after Mrs. Justice Wade ruled the Crown did not have enough evidence to proceed.

Both Walker and Wellman shared an apartment at Kitty's Drive in Hamilton Parish with their 10-year-old daughter.

Police searched the apartment on December 28, 1992 and found two plastic bags, each containing six smaller bags of cocaine, under the front passenger seat of Walker's Mitsubishi Colt.

Wellman steadfastly denied putting the drugs in the car though he admitted he was the last person to drive it the previous evening.

Crown counsel Diarmuid Doorly called several Police witnesses who testified that they found $5,500 in large bills in a black bag in the apartment and $650 in Wellman's pocket when he was searched at the Police station.

Defence lawyer Richard Hector summoned Wellman to the stand. He told the court that the $5,500 came from sales at his MCM leather goods store and that the $650 was left over from money he won through betting on horse racing.

The Crown tried to convince the jury the money had come from the sale of cocaine.

Crown witness Eugene Raynor, told the court he saw Wellman driving Walker's car just three hours before Police found the drugs.

Raynor also testified that Wellman, acting on the advice of his lawyer, called him and told him to change his statement to Police, but he declined.

However after Mr. Hector's cross-examination, Raynor admitted he told the Police a different story. He told the Police he did not see Wellman, but only recognised his voice.

Mr. Hector argued strenuously during his submission that the case was not worth the time it took to bring it to court because his client had no previous convictions and did not smoke or drink.

He also claimed Police did not like his client because his brother had earlier been charged and convicted for a drugs offence. This decision was overturned on appeal.