the courtroom yesterday by admitting he had sold cocaine for the defendant only hours before his arrest.

But William (Sherbadi) Robinson, who has been mentioned throughout the trial by both the prosecution and defence, said the 78.7 grams of cocaine found by Police did not belong to his friend.

Brown, 30, has pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing drug equipment, which was found later at his Berkeley Road apartment, but denies possessing cocaine with intent to supply.

Two narcotics officers testified they saw Brown on October 29, 1991, standing alone with his back to them on Middle Town Lane, Pembroke, "fidgeting with something'' while they were on a routine patrol.

Det. Con. Rudolph Richardson and Det. Con. Clinard (Butch) Burgess said they saw him drop a small packet on the ground and throw a large plastic bag onto a the lawn of his sister's house when they approached him.

But Robinson insisted he was with Brown for some time and was standing beside him when the officers arrived in the area.

"(Brown) wasn't carrying anything,'' he said. "He didn't have anything in his hands and he didn't drop anything.'' During cross-examination by Crown counsel Ms Sharon Kenny, Robinson, who said he earned a living from cutting grass and "hustles,''said he had given Brown $710 which he "owed him'' that afternoon.

When asked where the money came from, he calmly said it was "from drug sales''.

Robinson said he had sold seven out of 24 "twists'' of cocaine received from Brown that morning and had buried the rest before returning to the Middle Town area to give him the money.

Over $7,500 was found on Brown at the time of his arrest: $6,000 wrapped in aluminium foil, $710 in one pants pocket and $800 in another.

The father-of-one insisted the bulk of the money was earnings from gambling and mowing his sister's lawn.

Brown also said some of the luxury items found in his apartment were given to him by friends.

Ms Kenny noted that a magnum bottle of Dom Perignon champagne, new clothes, "a couple dozen'' Air Jordan sneakers, and a stereo/Compact Disc player with six speakers were among the items.

Defence witness Calvin Hendrickson, who was standing on steps overlooking the lawn where the drugs were found, also sharply contradicted Police statements.

He said Det. Con. Richardson pulled the larger bag out from under an old lawnmower which was sitting in the yard amidst other debris, rather than picking it up off the lawn as the officer had testified.

After receiving instructions from Puisne Judge the Hon. Mr. Austin Ward this morning, the jury will retire to deliberate.