Homeless man jailed for looking after £150,000 cannabis farm in Wavertree

46 year-old, who had previously been living in a car, locked up for two years

A homeless man who agreed to look after a £150,000 cannabis farm in Wavertree was jailed for two years.

Raymond Thompson, 46, was caught by police when they raided a house in Northdale Road on October 2 last year.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that officers discovered 193 mostly mature plants, with an estimated yield of 7.7kg and a street value of between £77,000 and £154,000.

Mike Stephenson, prosecuting, said: “They found the defendant hiding in the loft behind a stud wall, half dressed.”

Mr Stephenson said Thompson, of no fixed address, told police he had been living in a car when he was approached by two Asian men.

He said they offered him the job of looking after the farm, which he had done for three months, and paid him £300 a week, from which he had to buy chemicals to feed the plants.

The court heard the electricity meter had been bridged and there were 21 lamps and transformers, five filters and five fans, with estimated running costs of £19,000 a year.

Thompson admitting producing cannabis and abstracting electricity. He had no previous convictions.

Wendy Shorrock, defending, said Thompson did not organise the scheme and was not responsible for harvesting the plants or the number of plants.

She said he had been homeless for three years after falling out with his mum, who he had lived with for all of his life, and losing his job.

She said: “His previous good character has made him naive about the scale of the operation.

“It was an outstandingly stupid decision to become involved and it was a desperate one.

“He had been homeless for quite some time, he was living in his car and he was desperate for somewhere to live.

“It was because he was homeless rather than looking for money and it was a roof over his head.

“It was an incredibly sad situation that he found himself in.”

Judge David Aubrey, QC, said it was an “extremely sophisticated setup” in which Thompson played a significant role.

He conceded that it was a “sad, sad case” and that Thompson had lived a nomadic life, staying with friends, sleeping in his car and washing at gyms.

However, the judge said: “It has to be said that you made the choice to become involved in this serious offence.”

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/homeless-man-jailed-looking-after-8719212 25/02/2015