A furious Cardiff-based solicitor has complained to the Attorney-General after he was prosecuted for storing drugs that were discovered during a murder case he was dealing with.

Sole practitioner Robert Render was cleared last week of possessing cocaine taken from a car that had contained the remains of a murder victim. Mr Render was acting for the defendant in the murder case.


The police had already scoured the vehicle for evidence but had failed to find the drugs, which were discovered by the defence team and put in a secure filing cabinet before being turned over to the prosecution.


Solicitor-advocate Mr Render then ended up in court - along with clerk Ian McDermott - for storing the cocaine, but both were cleared last week. Mr Render told the Gazette he had written to the Attorney-General, arguing that the case against him should never have been brought. 'This is a matter of public interest,' he argued.


A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service admitted it had originally advised the police that there was enough evidence to bring proceedings, but said: 'We have reviewed this case again in the light of the new material and have concluded that there is no longer enough evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.'


Rodney Warren, director of the Criminal Law Solicitors Association, said he sympathised with Mr Render, as criminal defence solicitors often had to deal with a conflict between their duties as officers of the court and their responsibilities towards their clients. 'It can be a difficult tightrope to walk,' he said.


The Law Society said it was concerned about the prosecution and urged that others in a similar position contact its ethics department for advice.