A 19-year-old Devonshire resident, Tekle Tucker, was found not guilty in Magistrates? Court yesterday, while his sister, Sirgute Maryam, 21, was found guilty of resisting arrest and assaulting a Police officer.

The third accused in the case, 57-year-old Warwick resident, Veronica Franklin, was given an absolute discharge.

The three were arrested at Bermuda International Airport on January 5 after a fight broke out in the customs? section between Sirgute Maryam and Det. Con. Andrew Rawlins.

The three had been on board a chartered flight form Jamaica which had landed three hours prior to the incident and they were waiting in line to be searched by customs.

Det. Con. Rawlins had testified earlier this week how he had allegedly been assaulted by Tucker after he approached Maryam to ?calm her down?.

He had testified that Maryam had made a remark about having to wait in line for three hours to be searched.

According to Det. Con. Rawlins? testimony, he was pushed against the chest by Tucker who had moved to stand in front of his sister when he (Rawlins) approached them.

Det. Con. Rawlins told the court how Tucker fell over his luggage and ended up on the floor where he was restrained by two other officers.

At this point, he said, Maryam attacked him and ripped his shirt in the process before she too was restrained by an officer.

Franklin was accused of allegedly obstructing this officer in her attempt to arrest Maryam.

When sentencing Maryam, Acting Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo said he found her reaction a little excessive under the circumstances and fined her $500 for each of the two offences ? assaulting a Police officer and violently resisting arrest.

She was acquitted of the third charge of wilfully damaging Det. Con. Rawlins? shirt which was ripped in the scuffle.

Mr. Tokunbo told Franklin that thanks to the evidence given by both Tucker and Maryam in court as to her exact involvement in the matter, he could not find her guilty of anything and gave her an absolute discharge.

Tucker was found not guilty, but Mr. Tokunbo added that this did not mean the alleged assault on Det. Con. Rawlins did not take place, just that there was not enough evidence to prove that it did.

All three were represented in court by Elizabeth Christopher while Cindy Clarke represented the Crown during sentencing.