A man who was reportedly caught in possession of a small quantity of cocaine concealed in a flashlight while at the Sangster International Airport is now a free man.

Denzil Scott, who hails from St James, walked free from the parish court on Monday after he was found not guilty of possession of cocaine.

He was being represented by attorney-at-law Michael Hemmings.

According to court documents, on March 18, law enforcement officials acted on a tip and proceeded to the public parking area at the airport, where they saw a Toyota Corolla allegedly belonging to Scott.

He granted permission for law enforcement officials to search the vehicle, leading to the discovery of a black and yellow flashlight on one of the car seats.  Upon inspection, it was discovered that the flashlight had two batteries, one of which contained a piece of tissue paper enclosed in a transparent bag containing 3.07 grammes of cocaine.

When the cop presented the item to him, he claimed to have no knowledge of the cocaine concealed in the battery.

Scott was subsequently arrested and charged.

During Monday’s hearing, the court determined that, even though the defendant was in possession of the cocaine discovered in his vehicle, the Crown was unable to prove that he had knowledge that the item in the car contained a battery with cocaine.

As a result, Parish Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton ruled that the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the battery in the flashlight contained cocaine, resulting in Scott’s acquittal.