A trainee lawyer has thanked all those who never doubted her after she was found not guilty of money laundering.

Alex ‘Lally’ Gelling, 26, broke down in tears as the jury delivered its unanimous not guilty verdict at the Court of General Gaol Delivery on Friday afternoon – bringing to an end an ordeal that had lasted two years.

Miss Gelling had denied becoming concerned in an arrangement with her then drug-dealer boyfriend Blayne Mason Quinn to send drugs money in the post.

The 26-year-old, of Hope Street, Douglas, was arrested and interviewed under caution in May 2021 accused of entering the arrangement with Quinn between May 1 and 8, 2020, knowing or suspecting it would facilitate the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property, contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act.

In his summing up at the end of a five-day trial last week, Deemster Hopmeier described Miss Gelling as a ‘young woman of impeccable character who had fallen in love with this criminal’.

‘You are not here to solve the mysteries of love,’ he told the jury.

Taking to social media after her acquittal Miss Gelling thanked all her friends and family who had stood by her: ‘I write this post to thank the people who never once doubted me.’

She said her family, friends, work colleagues and legal team had encouraged her to stay strong and keep going and the amount of love she had received from her supporters had been ‘absolutely amazing’.

Quinn, of Archallagan Terrace, Foxdale, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to a string of drugs offences, including being concerned in the importation and supply of ketamine and cannabis and money laundering.

The Crown alleged the money to be sent was to pay off Quinn’s £10,000 debts to Liverpool drug suppliers and the money came, in whole or in part, from his drug dealing activities in the island.

Miss Gelling said she did not suspect it was drugs money and believed it came from legitimate wages that her boyfriend received from working for her mother, respected island dentist Dr Tracey Bell.

Dr Bell told the jury that she had employed Quinn on a casual basis during the 2020 lockdown to run her social media.

She told the jury that she had known nothing about his criminal history until three weeks after her eldest daughter introduced him as her first boyfriend and she had felt ‘really angry’ when she had found out ‘because I hate drugs’.

In her evidence, Miss Gelling said Blayne Mason Quinn is currently working for her mother as a dental receptionist. The seven-strong jury retired to consider its verdict at 1pm on Friday and returned to the court room to deliver its not guilty verdict at 3.15pm.

Miss Gelling had been a trainee advocate at Corlett Bolton & Co where she not only passed all four of her Manx Bar exams with flying colours but received the First Deemster’s Commendation – a discretionary award for those who truly excel.

She decided to terminate her employment following the money laundering charge but had continued to assist the practice on a zero hours basis.

A character reference from Corlett Bolton director Nadine Roberts read out in court stated that she had ‘no reason to doubt her honesty and integrity.’

In a statement released after the not guilty verdict, a spokesman for Corlett Bolton said: ‘Naturally we are very pleased at the outcome of this trial and the unanimous verdict of a jury and acknowledge closure on this particular matter.’