A post office manager accused of tampering with a urine sample in a drink-driving case has been found not guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Kevin Rogers, 50, of Mote Park, Roscommon denied a single charge of carrying out an act tending or intended to pervert the course of justice by interfering or tampering with potential evidence - a urine sample-posted by a garda to the Medical Bureau of Road Safety on 5 March 2012.
The case was a re-trial, as a jury failed to reach a verdict in a hearing last year.
Mr Rogers was working as retail manager at the post office in Roscommon town when the sample was taken from Michael Lyons, another post office employee, arising from a traffic accident at Convent Road, Roscommon on 3 March 2012.
The jury, sitting before Judge Gerard O'Brien at Roscommon Circuit Criminal Court, heard last week that the sample was posted in a package at Athleague Post Office and later transferred with other post for sorting at Roscommon Post Office.
The prosecution case alleged that the package containing the urine sample was microwaved by Mr Rogers at the canteen on the first floor of the post office building in Roscommon town.
The package was damaged when it arrived at the Medical Bureau and the sample was effectively destroyed.
Mr Rogers did not give evidence in the four-day trial, but in a memo of an interview with gardaí which was read to the jury he said he was 31 years working in the post office, had no criminal record and had no reason to tamper with the package.
Even though Mr Lyons was a friend of his, he did not know that the package contained his sample.
After deliberating for just over three hours, the jury returned with a majority verdict of not guilty.
