Alton Wedderburn, former Red Stripe distribution manager, has been freed by the Court of Appeal.

Wedderburn was convicted in October last year of several counts of obtaining money by means of false pretence from the brewery.

It was alleged that the offences were committed in 2005 while Wedderburn was employed at Red Stripe's distribution centre at Smithfield, Westmoreland.

He was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment, but was on bail pending the outcome of his appeal.

Senior Resident Magistrate Lyle Armstrong convicted Wedderburn in the Savanna-la-Mar Resident Magistrate's Court in Westmoreland but the Court of Appeal ruled last Friday that the Crown failed to prove the charges.

Wedderburn had denied the charges, saying he had loaned his own money to the salesmen so they could leave the Smithfield depot early in the mornings with the goods.

Attorney-at-law Leonard Green, who represented Wedder-burn, submitted that the resident magistrate rejected evidence which was material to the case.

System of reimbursement

The Court of Appeal, in quashing the conviction, said Wedderburn had a system of advancing loans to the salesmen by issuing cheques drawn on his account at the National Com-mercial Bank (NCB).

The court found that Wedder-burn had no intention to defraud the beer company. The court said further that there was evidence from a salesman that personal cheques from Wedderburn bearing dates from July 29, 2005 to August 30, 2005 represented loans from Wedderburn to assist that salesman in settling his accounts with Red Stripe. The cheques - valued at a total sum of $5.1 million - were drawn on Wedderburn's account at NCB, lodged to Red Stripe's account and were all honoured, the court said.

barbara.gayle@gleanerjm.com