05/09/2007 00:00:00
UK: Keep off the grass: Warning after cannabis grower loses his freedom
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THIS is the sophisticated cannabis farm which cost a man a six-month
jail sentence.
Hartlepool man Mark Scott Galbraith had 49 mature cannabis plants and 37
seedlings in his home when police swooped.
They found a cannabis farm with a potential street value of £49,000.
Galbraith's six-month sentence was welcomed by police. They say it
should act as a deterrent to others.
Sergeant Ken Bennett, of Hartlepool Police, said: "A stiffer sentence
hopefully sends out a positive message that people who grow cannabis are
going to go to face the prospect of jail."
Lynne Roberts-Plowman, prosecuting at Hartlepool Magistrates Court, said
Galbraith had denied that he was using the house solely for growing the
cannabis farm.
But Galbraith was sleeping on his couch while the two bedrooms of the
house in Rodney Street, Hartlepool, were used for cultivation, and none
of his clothes were at the premises.
Ms Roberts-Plowman said the bedrooms were lit and heated by sodium lamps
on timer switches.
Two large fans, smaller fans and a tubing extractor were found in the
bedrooms, both windows were taped up and covered in plastic sheeting,
and the plants were growing in compost.
Ms Roberts-Plowman added: "The plants were well cared for and the
bedrooms and electrics were adapted to allow the equipment to be used.
The sole occupier was the defendant."
Galbraith, 31, told police the cannabis was for his own use, and he used
£20 to £30 of it a day.
The court heard the amount of the Class C drug found was the equivalent
of a year's supply.
Galbraith admitted producing a controlled Class C drug, committed on
March 21.
John Ellwood, mitigating, said Galbraith had been a hard-working man in
the past and "had a substantial income. He is not a man who would
ordinarily come before the court".
He added: "At some stage in his life, he suffered an accident which
rendered him unable to work, depressed and in pain.
"He started to smoke cannabis at home, in the privacy of his own home."
Mr Ellwood said it was "expensive" to buy cannabis, so Galbraith read up
on it and "learned you can grow it in your own home".
Chairman of the bench Sheila Creighton sentenced Galbraith to six months
in prison and ordered the forfeiture of the plants and equipment,
saying: "We consider the amount and value too great for a non-custodial
sentence."
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12818
Author:
Hartlepool Mail via UKCIA
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