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UK: Cannabis grower jailed for 20 months

thisisgloucestershire

Tuesday 15 Feb 2011

A BUILDER who used his life savings to convert part of a 16th century manor house into a cannabis factory was caught when the property was burgled and the police arrived to investigate.

Graham Sutherland, 52, spent £27,000 on setting up the marijuana factory but had only benefited from one £15,000 crop before the property was broken into and a number of plants were stolen.

Sutherland, of Cleeveway Manor, Evesham Road, Bishop's Cleeve, was jailed for 20 months at Gloucester Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to the production of cannabis and to abstracting electricity.

Prosecuting barrister James Byrne said: "At 11pm on July 15 last year a neighbour of the defendant called the police when she saw the silhouettes of people putting items into bags.

"When police arrived, they noticed that the glass in the front door had been smashed and also a window was smashed.

"The house had been ransacked.

"The defendant told police that he had a lot of enemies, but then officers could smell the distinct odour of cannabis.

"They found evidence of the production of cannabis – fluorescent lighting and hydroponic equipment and sheeting.

"Rooms had clearly been adapted for the growing of cannabis and it was later discovered that the electricity supply had been diverted from the mains outside.

"The defendant told officers that some of the plants had been stolen in the burglary, but an initial similar crop had made him £15,000.

"He has a long criminal record, mainly for dishonesty, going back to 1975."

Spencer Stephens, defending, said: "My client's brother had the contract for maintenance at the property, which was being converted into flats.

"The defendant was living there while he was involved in the renovation.

"Then he had a conversation with somebody in a pub who suggested the plan of producing cannabis there.

"So he ploughed his life-time savings of £27,000 into the project, which was more like a cottage industry than a major operation.

Recorder Paul Grumbar said: "This was a very sophisticated system and you invested a lot of money in a pre-planned criminal enterprise.

"It was a fairly large-scale commercial enterprise, but you very foolishly got someone to take power from the mains outside."

http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/news/Cannabis-grower-jailed-20-months/article-3222957-detail/article.html

 

 

 

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