A Perthshire lorry driver who had sex with a prostitute while cocaine smugglers hid drugs worth £1 million has walked free from court.
Clive Gillies, 46, consistently denied any involvement in the smuggling operation which led to him being caught with 10 packets of the white powder at the Channel Tunnel in May last year.
After just over three hours at Canterbury Crown Court a jury decided to free Mr Gillies, of Station Road, Birnam, on a majority 10 to two verdict.
Defence counsel Graeme Wilson argued there was no forensic evidence to link him with the drugs found in the refrigeration unit on the articulated lorry.
Mr Gillies told the jury he had paid the prostitute 200 euros for sex but in hindsight believed she was used as a honeytrap to keep him away from his rig while the drugs were planted.
He said anybody could climb up between the tractor and trailer units hide the drugs and not be seen.
Mr Gillies will get the 44-ton vehicle back and will have his costs refunded out of public funds after being found not guilty of importing drugs into the UK.
Hearing the verdict he said “Thank you” and then hugged his barrister. He declined to comment on the case.
He was approached by the woman while working on his truck while parked in a layby on a Belgian industrial estate.
During the trial Mr Gillies said he was tempted because she was “a very beautiful woman”.
Earlier in a bizarre incident Judge Simon James found he had 13 jurors instead of 12.
A man from another jury attached himself to the group and walked into the wrong court but it did not affect the verdict.