Raid on the home of struggling Wakefield man who Googled home-grown cannabis

A man’s attempts at self-medicating his battle with depression led to a police raid at his Wakefield home.
By Nick Frame
Published 23rd Apr 2023, 11:45 GMT
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Mobile phone repair worker Patryk Wojna said he suffered from anxiety and low mood, so Googled methods on how to combat the problem – and came up with smoking cannabis. Officers attended his home on Lincoln Street on August 12 last year for unrelated matters, with Wojna letting them in.

They then quickly placed him under arrest when they noticed the plants growing in the living room. There were 44 in total, with another eight growing in the basement. There were also the lights, fans and transformers to help the plants grow, and the electricity had been bypassed.

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Only eight of the plants were successfully grown. Wojna and a female were interviewed and no further action was taken against the woman. Wojna said it was for his personal use, which was accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Police found 52 cannabis plants in the house on Lincoln Street with the usual sophisticated set up, but only eight plants were successful.Police found 52 cannabis plants in the house on Lincoln Street with the usual sophisticated set up, but only eight plants were successful.
Police found 52 cannabis plants in the house on Lincoln Street with the usual sophisticated set up, but only eight plants were successful.

Appearing at Leeds Crown Court, the 35-year-old admitted being concerned in the production of cannabis and the unlawful extraction of electricity.

Mitigating on his behalf, Sean Smith said Wojna had been buying cannabis to alleviate his depression, became a heavy user and built up a debt. He said he struggled to pay his council tax so “foolishly” decided to invest in growing the drug for himself.

He said Wojna came to the UK from Poland in 2008 and has worked hard since his arrival. He said he has since stopped taking cannabis and that the raid had been a “big wake-up call”.

He was given a 12-month community order and 100 hours of unpaid work.