A criminal with a violent past has been cleared by a jury of viciously intimidating a pair of recovering drug addicts.

During a two-day trial at the Supreme Court, the jury heard David Brooks allege that Kamel Trott doused him and his roommate Scott Darrell in lighter fluid, and attempted to ignite it.

He also claimed that Trott, 32, stuck a gun in his mouth, punched him in the face, hit him 12 times over the head with a hammer, and threatened him with a knife.

The events were said to have taken place at the Pembroke home shared by Mr. Brooks, 52, and Mr. Darrell, 39, during February, March and April 2008.

Mr. Darrell was in the midst of a relapse into drug use at the time, having previously completed rehabilitation.

After deliberating for just over four hours yesterday afternoon, the jury found Trott not guilty by a unanimous verdict on six charges encompassing assault, aggravated burglary while armed and throwing a destructive substance with intent to burn.

Crown Counsel Brett Webber had earlier urged the jury to regard former cocaine addict Mr. Brooks' evidence as credible and find Trott guilty. "This was an extremely difficult, and I would suggest, brave thing for Mr. Brooks to do. Theirs is a different world, and it's a world that allows people like the defendant to prey on such victims," he said.

"David Brooks freely admitted his addiction issues and struggles with recovery and admitted when there were details he could not remember."

However, defence lawyer Richard Horseman pounced on inconsistencies in Mr. Brooks' account of events, which he said showed up when he was cross examined on the details and chronology.

"I don't want to be mean about Mr. Brooks but I would suggest to you that he's a very confused individual and you saw that on the stand," said Mr. Horseman during his closing speech yesterday. He dismissed the idea that Mr. Brooks could have been hit over the head with a hammer 12 times as he claimed, without needing medical treatment.

Trott has a lengthy criminal past, featuring ten convictions for acts of violence dating back to 1994, including causing grievous bodily harm. Last month, he was jailed for seven years for a violent attack on prison inmate Dennis Robinson, while acting as an accomplice to Kenneth Burgess.

Burgess and Robinson are behind bars over the brutal murder of the Cooper twins. Trott assisted Burgess in attacking Robinson just three days before he was due to be released from a three-year sentence for unlawful wounding with intent in a separate incident.

Mr. Darrell did not come to court and give evidence in the latest case, with Judge Carlisle Greaves hearing from a Police officer that this was because he's scared of Trott. Mr. Darrell also told the Police he feared that giving evidence might trigger him to relapse into drug addiction.

The jury members were not told of the reason Mr. Darrell did not attend court, since these discussions took place in their absence. However, Mr. Horseman said of Mr. Darrell's statement being read to the jury: "You're going to be told what to do with evidence that comes to you on paper. I'm going to tell you to file it in the round filing bin. Imagine if we had just let Mr. Brooks give his evidence and I had not cross-examined him. How much did it change?"

Mr. Horseman also questioned Mr. Brooks' state of mind at the time of the alleged events.

"This isn't smoking a little ganja and getting the munchies. This is smoking cocaine. He said smoking cocaine relaxes him. I've not heard expert evidence about what smoking that can do for you but I'm sure it ain't good," he observed. "You're saying it doesn't affect my perception? He may really believe he was struck over the head with that hammer. He's a very confused man."

He urged the jury to consider carefully the claim that Trott tried repeatedly to ignite fluid he had poured over Mr. Brooks and Mr. Darrell. "Was it lighter fluid? Could it have been a joke? It might have been water," he said.

Having heard the verdict of the jury, which comprised of eight women and four men, Puisne Justice Carlisle Greaves told Trott: "You are free to go on this matter."