Man's ‘lame' bid to grow cannabis in his wardrobes

AN AGORAPHOBIC man who took drugs to numb the pain after he was run over made a "lame attempt" to grow cannabis in two wardrobes in his home.

Mark Stevens, aged 37, of Crickley Drive, Warndon, Worcester, admitted drugs charges when he appeared before a district judge at Worcester Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

He pleaded guilty to supplying £5 of cannabis, possession of 35 diazepam, possession of £50 of cannabis and being concerned in the production of seven cannabis plants.

All charges apply to May 8 when officers executed a search warrant on his property.

Sam Webley, prosecuting, said Stevens has two set-ups for growing cannabis, one in an in-built wardrobe and the other in a free-standing wardrobe at the house.

Stevens told police a friend had called him saying he had run out of cannabis so gave him £5 worth of the class B drug.

Mrs Webley said: "He admitted the plants were grown by him and were two weeks old, would reach around 4ft high and keep him going, once harvested, until Christmas."

Lamps with time switches were also found and plastic sheeting to keep the temperature constant but no extractors, Mrs Webley said.

Stevens has two previous conviction for supplying heroin in March 2007.

Ruth Edwards, defending, said the cultivation of the cannabis did not involve "sophisticated hydroponics". She said: "It's a fairly lame attempt at growing his own cannabis. This is a young man who has a number of serious health issues. He was run over when he was 17 and had to learn to walk again. He's in substantial pain due to the injuries he sustained. A large chunk of his thigh was taken out and he's on a large amount of pain medication which he supplements with cannabis."

Mrs Edwards also said Stevens had managed to get himself clean of heroin and suffered from agoraphobia. She said the £5 of cannabis he gave to a friend was a gift and no money changed hands.

District judge Ian Strongman said although a custodial sentence was appropriate Stevens' personal circumstances made it right to draw back from sentencing him immediately.

He said: "It may be regarded as a bit of a fudge - it probably is."

He sentenced him to 28 days in prison suspended for 12 months and ordered him to pay £85 costs.

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk 11/08/2012