An Oban woman has been acquitted of attempting to obstruct police during a drugs raid at her home.
Rita Gatner, 38, of Quarry Road, was on trial at court in Oban this week. She was also found not guilty of possessing cannabis.
The court heard how a strong smell of cannabis raised suspicions when a police officer knocked at the address on March 16 last year, carrying out door-to-door inquiries about an earlier unconnected disturbance in the street.
Six officers returned to the property later with a drugs search warrant.
Miss Gatner was accused of repeatedly shouting to alert two other people who were in the flat at the time and also to a caller who came to the door that police were present and searching for drugs, but she told Sheriff Simon Fraser it had not been intended as a warning, she said she was simply announcing their arrival, ‘just shouting the obvious’ as if it was “the coalman at the door”.
During the police search an amount of drugs and paraphernalia including a pipe and a bong was discovered. Cannabis was also found on a coffee table and nine wraps of heroin were found in jeans belonging to Miss Gatner’s now former partner Daniel Guy.
Miss Gatner said all the drugs belonged to Guy.