A MAN who asked a custody officer at St Albans Crown Court to pass his friend cannabis has walked free.

A jury heard that John Hunt, 56, of Jennings Way, Hemel Hempstead, handed a pouch of tobacco containing nearly five grammes of cannabis resin to Group 4 custody officer Lorraine Gollins in April last year.

Hunt asked her to pass it on to Robert McQueen who was being held in the cells and was due to stand trial later that day. Mrs Gollins became suspicious when she discovered some brown lumps mixed in with the tobacco.

She alerted police who found the lumps to be cannabis resin. Hunt was then arrested in the public gallery of the court where his friend was due to appear.

Police later searched Hunt's car outside and found 1.69 grammes of herbal cannabis in a bin liner.

When interviewed Hunt admitted that he had handed in the pouch yet claimed he had done it on behalf of someone else who he would not name.

He claimed he was 'anti drugs' and had no idea about the marijuana in his car or what was in the tobacco pouch.

Hunt denied one charge of possession of the drug with intent to supply and one charge of simple possession.

He was cleared of both charges and walked free from Blackfriars Crown Court on Wednesday, January 30.