A defence lawyer in a Supreme Court cocaine trial claimed the case was one of mistaken identity and his client was a simple man not used to sophisticated methods of importing cocaine.

Mark Pettingill claimed Police could not identify his client Lang Onley under the helmet he was wearing.

And he asked members of the jury if they could identify their mothers if they were wearing a helmet.

"When you talk about knowledge it is like identifying your mother in that space helmet (the helmet with a visor allegedly worn by Onley),'' said Mr.

Pettingill.

"Look at him,'' Mr. Pettingill said, pointing to Onley. "Does he look like he would be engaged in such a thing?'' Onley, 40, of 12 Harvest Lane, Hamilton Parish and Richard Ricardo Steede, 39, of 12 Kitty's Drive, Hamilton Parish are charged with conspiring to import cocaine, possessing cocaine with intent to supply, handling cocaine, and possessing cannabis between March 28 and 31, last year.

The cocaine, which was imported in 16 golf club shafts, weighed more than a pound and had a street value of $138,000.

Mr. Pettingill said Onley may be mistrusting of authority, but he was certainly not a sophisticated person.

He said, James Lambert, a witness for the Crown, was the biggest question of the cocaine trial.

Earlier in the trial the court heard evidence from Mr. Lambert, a former employee of Mid Ocean Club and a cousin to Onley. Mr. Lambert said he was asked by Steede if there were ways to import drugs into the Island.

Mr. Lambert told the court at the beginning of the trial he discussed how to import cocaine in golf clubs with Steede. He said he was to be paid with a portion of cocaine, but declined to be involved because he did not want to put his job at risk.

"If I did it, they were to give me some cocaine for bringing it in,'' said Mr. Lambert when asked by Crown counsel Peter Eccles if there was anything in the deal for him.

Onley told Det. Con Alex Severin, when questioned after his arrest, that this was one of many shipments of cocaine-laced golf clubs due in Bermuda, but he only received one.

Mr. Pettingill questioned whether there were 16 golf clubs collected by Police from an old shed in the yard of Steede's late neighbour.

"Ask yourselves if they were 16 golf clubs,'' Mr. Pettingill told the six-woman, five-man jury.

He noted that Det. Sgt. Dennis Gordon said the clubs were there, but they could not be seen in the Police photograph.

Det. Con. Alex Severin testified that there were 16 golf clubs, but those missing from the Police picture were on the floor and could not be seen from the angle because a sofa was blocking them.

Det. Con. Malcolm Woods gave evidence that he could not re-arrange the scene when he was taking the photographs of the clubs. He said the matter was for the eye of the camera and some clubs had fallen on the floor. This, he said, explained why some golf clubs were not accounted for in the picture frame.

Mr. Pettingill claimed his client did not know the clubs had cocaine in them.

The court heard during the trial a pink piece of paper was found in Onley's pocket which bore the airway bill of the imported cocaine-laced golf clubs.

This piece of paper matched a yellow piece of paper found in Steede's residence of the airway bill.

P.c. Joseph Cook gave evidence that he saw Onley clearly as he collected the bag with the cocaine-laced golf clubs from Mid Ocean Club on March 31, last year.

P.c. Cook said Onley was carrying a pillion passenger on a blue Honda Scoopy motorcycle.

The case is expected to go the jury this morning.