The trial by jury of a mother and daughter accused of money laundering came to an end this afternoon when the mother, Carmen Butler, was given a two year jail sentence suspended for four years after being found guilty by six votes to three. Her daughter Stephanie was found not guilty.

The jurors reached their decision after more than five hours of deliberation, and asked for clemency as, they said, Mrs Butler was a victim of family circumstances.

Carmen and Stephanie Butler had been accused of laundering money between May 2000 and February 2004 when they deposited €56,619 (Lm24,300) through 19 transactions into an HSBC account.

Mr Justice Giannino Caruana Demajo said he had noted the jurors' call for clemency and the fact that since Mr Butler was in prison in Italy, Mrs Butler on her own had to take care of her children, who had health problems.