A detective told Inverness Sheriff Court that he did not know if a man he had in custody had ever taken drugs.
He was giving evidence in the trial of Antonio Sabiu who denies being concerned in the supply of cocaine at a Lochaber guest house, Fort William Sheriff Court, and Inverness Prison on February 17, 2012.
Sabiu, 57, from Fort William, has lodged a special defence claiming Detective Sergeant Richard Baird gave him the drugs while he was in a custody cell at Fort William Police Station in connection with alleged threats against police, and asked him to take the narcotic to Shotts Prison.
The officer, now an acting detective inspector, was investigated by Northern Constabulary’s professional standards department but no action was taken against and he remained on duty.
It emerged earlier in the trial that Sabiu had initially been questioned by DI Baird on February 17 in connection with an alleged breach of the peace, relating to threatening another police officer, and was in custody over this matter.
Solicitor advocate Gerry Sweeney, defending, suggested that DI Baird would have known that Sabiu was likely to be taken into custody after being charged with the offence, and that he also knew Sabiu was a drug user due to his previous convictions.
DI Baird said: “I do not know if he has taken a drug in his life Mr Sweeney.
“I know of his record sheet and what that says. The actual taking of drugs is completely different.”
Asked by Mr Sweeney what he knew of the investigation by professional standards before he was questioned by them, DI Baird said: “I was aware that Mr Sabiu had been found in possession of a prohibited drug in Inverness Prison and that he had alleged that he had been given the drugs by a police officer and that it was alleged to be me.
“Nothing more than that.”
The trial continues.
