EX-POLICEMAN IN COURT ON DRUG COUNTS

TWO weeks after leading a raid on a woman's house, a Tasmanian drug
squad officer and the woman became lovers, a court heard yesterday.And
the relationship descended into a a classic "fatal attraction" case of
sex and drugs, the Supreme Court in Hobart heard.

Former Northern Drug Bureau sergeant David Charles Ling is alleged to
have supplied Josephine Mary King with drugs for sale and pocketed
most of the profits.

But when the on-again, off-again affair ended bitterly, she burned
down Mr Ling's Launceston house ... and reported him to police
internal affairs.

King is serving a prison sentence in Risdon for burning down the house.

Mr Ling yesterday appeared before the court to deny eight counts of
supplying cannabis and one of perverting the course of justice.

Counsel for Mr Ling, Greg Richardson, asked the court: "Was King
motivated by a desire, a hatred of Ling?

"Did she want to punish him, harm him, hurt him because of the anger
she feels?

"Is she here to tell the truth or is she here telling a concocted story?"

Crown prosecutor Tony Jacobs said the two met when Mr Ling was the
sergeant in charge of a drug raid of King's home on October 15, 1996.

Mr Jacobs said about 10 ounces (about 280g) of cannabis were found but
charges from that raid were dropped by police. He said Mr Ling gave
King cannabis to sell seven times.

Once he gave her cannabis to pay a court fine.

In 1998 the relationship ended and King rang police internal
investigations.

King told the court police raided her home in October 1996 and she was
charged and released.

She said Mr Ling rang her later that day and asked her to meet him in
the Kmart car park in Launceston.

He asked her if she would suffer financially because she had had the
cannabis seized.

After she said she would, he gave her a larger bag of cannabis, which
weighed about 1 ounce (28g).

She said he visited her the next day and then began calling and seeing
her regularly. They became lovers about two weeks later.

King told the court of three more occasions in Launceston when Mr Ling
gave her about an ounce of cannabis, which she sold.

She said she gave him most of the money - about $2000 - and kept about
$400.

In 1997 she said they were driving in an unmarked police car along
Rocherlea Rd when it had a puncture. Mr Ling gave her a bag of
cannabis and rang for another police officer to pick her up and take
her home.

Seven of the counts allege Mr Ling supplied cannabis to King, which
she sold for him.

The last count alleges Mr Ling asked another police officer to lie
about what had happened to a small bag of cannabis the officer had
found in a Launceston shop.

The trial continues today and is expected to finish at the end of next
week.