Stoke Sentinel UK 8/31/17
Cannabis smoker Samuel Yu grew the drug at his home so he did not have to buy it on the street.
But police found the growing operation when they were called to his property to deal with a domestic dispute.
Officers could smell cannabis and discovered an extractor hose coming from a ground floor window. They went on to find eight cannabis plants inside the house.
Now Yu has been fined £280 by magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre.
Prosecutor Carla Harris said police were called to deal with a domestic incident at 7.45pm on June 17.
Miss Harris said: “The police spoke to a woman and could smell a strong odour of cannabis vegetation. As they looked around the rear garden they could see an extractor hose through a ground floor window and thick sheeting over the windows.
“The woman explained her partner (the defendant) had run off. He was responsible for the flat downstairs. Shortly after he came back and he allowed police access to the flat. Officers found eight cannabis plants.”
Miss Harris added that the potential yield of the eight plants was between 224 grams and 448 grams.
In his police interview the defendant agreed he was responsible for the plants and said he watered and fed them. He confirmed the plants were for his own use.
Yu, of Stone Road, Hanford, pleaded guilty to producing a class B drug.
Representing himself, he told the court he works in financial services and the conviction may affect his licence.
He said the police officer told him it was one of the worst cannabis growing set-ups he had seen and he argued there was only seven plants.
But Yu agreed it was ‘unacceptable behaviour’. He added: “I do smoke cannabis and have done for a long time. Because of the poor quality and the risk involved from buying drugs on the street I did for the first time grow it myself. I will never take that risk again. I do have a full-time job and I have put that at risk.”
As well as the fine, Yu was ordered to pay £135 costs and a £30 surcharge.
Magistrate Vicky Botham told Yu: “Production of cannabis is quite serious. It was for you to use yourself. You did not do a good job of growing it so I would give it up as a bad job. It was still a high yield.”
