A stifled sob from the gallery was the only sound to penetrate the still courtroom yesterday, moments after businessman Allan Williams was found guilty of allowing his house to be used to cultivate 75 cannabis plants.

The 11-1 verdict came in at 5.26 p.m. yesterday after the Supreme Court jury had deliberated for one hour and 16 minutes.

Williams, 43, of Harbour Road, Paget, nodded his head as the verdict was read but remained calm.

Puisne Judge the Hon. Mrs. Justice Wade rejected a bail application from Williams' lawyer Mr. Alan Dunch and he was remanded in custody.

He will be sentenced this morning at 9.30 a.m.

Richard Graham Thomas, 40, who last week pleaded guilty to growing the 75 cannabis plants in Williams' basement using transformers, powerful lights, an extractor fan and a water hose, is also expected to be sentenced this morning.

Williams, who owns Williams Trading Company with his mother and sister, maintained throughout the trial that he did not know that Thomas had transformed his basement into a drug plantation.

Police discovered the elaborate hydroponics operation when they raided Williams' home on January 17, 1994 in the early hours of the morning.

Inside the master bedroom they found Rizla papers and a commercial cigarette in the closet and a ziploc bag containing 2.97 grams of cannabis on top of the refrigerator.

Williams admitted that the cannabis was his and he said that he occasionally smoked cannabis with Thomas.

They also found a key that opened the basement door where the cannabis plants were discovered.

The Crown charged that these were among the many circumstances which taken together pointed to Williams' guilt.

In his final arguments, Crown Counsel Mr. Khamisi Tokunbo told the jury that it was clear Thomas did not have the finances to pay for all the expensive equipment that was found in the basement.

He said that Williams was a man of some means and provided the capital to get the project started and was able to absorb the high electricity bills generated from the use of the equipment.

Mr. Tokunbo said Williams had revealed his guilt when he told Police that Thomas used and had a key for the basement when all Police wanted to know was where the basement was located.

In his final speech before the jury retired, Mr. Dunch said the Crown did not have any direct evidence that Williams knew what Thomas was doing in the basement.