Cannabis smoker had 'no idea' 1kg of the drug was under his bed at Pontefract home

A cannabis user found with almost 1kg of the drug under his bed was spared jail after his brother took full responsibility.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Andrew Peter Forrest was arrested after police raided his property on Kinsley Street in Kinsley, Pontefract, in February 2019. Prosecutor Ayman Khokhar told Leeds Crown Court that officers had reason to believe the house was being used “in connection to the street-level supply of cannabis”.

They forced entry and conducted a search of the terraced property, uncovering 26 freezer bags full of skunk cannabis underneath the bed, and a hydroponic set-up in the attic but no cannabis plants. The electricity supply to the house had also been by-passed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The total weight of the cannabis was 995 grammes, with a potential street value of more than £8,600 and found Forrest’s fingerprints on the freezer bags.

Forrest's home on Kinsley Street was raided.Forrest's home on Kinsley Street was raided.
Forrest's home on Kinsley Street was raided.

After his arrest, Forrest was interviewed twice, first telling officers he had no knowledge of the drugs. He said his brother had been staying at the property and had been sleeping in the bedroom where the drugs were found.

During his second interview, after being quizzed on the fingerprints, he said the freezer bags were from his kitchen and it was likely he had touched them beforehand.

However, last year, Forrest’s brother attended a police interview where he told officers he took full responsibility for the drugs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Andrew Forrest was originally charged with dealing cannabis, but admitted a lesser charge of permitting his premises to be used in the supply of cannabis, which was accepted by the Crown.

The 37-year-old has previous drug convictions, including dealing in 2010, but was spared a jail term.

A probation report found that he is a recovering heroin addict who still regularly smoked cannabis, and is a father-of-five who has ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome.

The judge, Recorder Andrew Dallas, gave him a 12-month community order with 180 hours of unpaid work.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He told him: “Your mental health problems clearly exist and were a factor in saving you from prison on a previous occasion. But your mental health problems will not save you from prison indefinitely, you must understand that.

"What has saved you is that it’s been over four years since this offence, and during that period there’s no evidence of re-offending.”