Cash-strapped Leeds couple bought equipment from eBay and watched YouTube to perfect cannabis growing

But the Prorok's plans came crashing down when police raided their marital home in Leeds armed with a search warrant as the couple’s two young children watched in horror.

Officers found an operation potentially worth up to £8,000, as well as half-a-kilo of previously-harvested cannabis worth up to £5,700.

Prosecuting the case at Leeds Crown Court, Robert Galley said the police, acting on a tip-off, went to the property on Parkside Parade in Beeston on October 10 last year.

Bartosz Prorok and his wife Aneta were both home, along with their two children who were aged two and eight at the time. Bartosz, 33, quickly confessed to officers there was cannabis growing in an upstairs bedroom.

There they found 24 plants, each at about 50cm in height, along with all the usual lights, fans, extractors and irrigation system to provide the perfect environment to allow the plants grow successfully.

The loose cannabis was found a plastic tub in another bedroom. Officers thought the electricity had been bypassed or as least “tampered”, Mr Galley said. On Bartosz's phone, they found messages advertising three different strains of cannabis for sale that he had sent out to customers.

The court heard it was initially intended for personal use, but they had so much surplus cannabis they then sold it to friends. Bartosz admitted a charge of production of cannabis, and possession with intent to supply cannabis.

Aneta, 37, denied involvement during her police interview, but then admitted they had started growing cannabis to save money after struggling to make ends meet.

She admitted a single charge of producing cannabis. Neither have any previous convictions.

Mitigating for Bartosz, Edel Speirits said: "He has been smoking cannabis since he was 15, he smokes it like cigarettes. He lost his job during the pandemic but not his addiction to cannabis.

"His father sadly died and he is deeply ashamed he used his inheritance money to fund this operation."

They brought second-hand equipment from eBay and then watched the videos on YouTube. Mr Speirits said: "They have no money, no savings and the family is in debt."

He said that Bartosz now has a steady nine-to-five job with an electrics firm in Leeds, was attending regular sessions with drug counsellors and had joined a drug support group.

Aneta told a probation officer that they had been growing the drugs for three months and that she was remorseful for her actions.

Judge Anesh Pema told the married couple: "You did this in a house where your children were. You did this as a means to not buy cannabis from dealers and you ended up using the excess to make money."

He gave Bartosz an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, with 150 hours of unpaid work. Judge Pema conceded Aneta played a "lesser role" and she was given a community order with a three-month curfew.