Earley cannabis grower told to expect jail sentence

Gulan Khan gave no comment in a subsequent police interview, but at the end of the interview he said he believed the seedlings were tomato plants

A 21-year-old man has been told to expect a prison sentence after he admitted possessing more than 50g of cannabis.

Reading Crown Court heard evidence of growing cannabis plants was also found when police raided the home of Gulan Khan in Pitt's Lane, Earley,

His father Azam Khan, 48, of the same address, also appeared in court facing drugs charges, but pleaded not guilty and was allowed to walk free.

The court heard how officers had carried out a search warrant on the house on November 27, last year, when Gulan and other female members of the family were present.

They found large carrier bags containing vegetation, small ‘deal bags' and equipment in the attic including heat lamps and thermal lined grow tents.

Officers also found 46.9g of herbal matter which was identified as cannabis, a further 3.9g of cannabis and cannabis plant seedlings growing in pots on a windowsill.

Sandra Beck, prosecuting, said Gulan gave no comment in a subsequent police interview, but at the end of the interview he said he believed the seedlings were tomato plants.

Appearing in court on Wednesday, 27 August, Gulan admitted one count of possession of cannabis and denied two counts of possession of cannabis with intent to supply but admitted possession in each count.

Azam denied all three counts.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) accepted the pleas given by Gulan and offered no further evidence in the case of Azam.

Judge Angela Morris heard Gulan had no previous convictions and she said there was no evidence of him being a long term drug addict.

She adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report but warned Gulan to be prepared for an immediate custodial sentence when he returned to the court for sentencing on Friday, October 10.

Gulan was released on conditional bail.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/earley-cannabis-grower-told-expect-7734032 08/09/2014