Police covert devices 'unlawful'

Police surveillance methods have been criticised at a trial at Jersey's Royal Court over a plot to smuggle drugs.

A defence lawyer said failure to report to French police a device hidden in a French hire car was unlawful.

Jurors were told the car was used by John Welsh, 43, of Liverpool, who denies conspiracy to import drugs.

He and five other men are accused of plotting to smuggle drugs worth £1m from Amsterdam by boat to a cove near St Catherine's Breakwater in Jersey.

Curtis Warren, 46, of Liverpool; James O'Brien, 45, of Glasgow; Jason Woodward, 22, of Dartford; Paul Hunt, 27, and Oliver Lucas, 23, of Jersey also deny the charge.

The jury previously heard how much of the evidence against the men stemmed from covert surveillance by the States of Jersey Police, working with police in Britain and Holland.

Covert recording

Jurors had seen transcripts of police recordings of one of the accused, John Welsh, allegedly discussing the failure to raise cash to carry out the alleged plot.

Defence advocate Stephen Baker asked witness Lawrence Courtness, a Jersey police officer, about the use of covert recording equipment on a hire car used by Mr Welsh.

Mr Baker inquired if he knew that by putting surveillance equipment in a French hire car without the authority of French police he was doing something unlawful.

Mr Courtness replied: "I wouldn't describe it as that"

Mr Baker said: "You were asked to do something unlawful?"

The police officer replied: "We had the permission of the owner of the vehicle to install technical equipment into the vehicle."

Mr Baker then asked the officer: "Were you worried about being caught by the French police?"

He replied: "No, I don't think we'd done anything wrong."

The trial continues.