Wakefield man had £11,000 drug farm growing in his bungalow

Richard Sutton had been behind the wheel of a Volvo when he was pulled over by officers on July 30, 2019. They immediately smelt cannabis when they approached the vehicle and spotted a small bag of the drug.

Following a further search of the car they found a carrier bag containing more cannabis under the passenger seat.

As a result, they then searched his bungalow on Danella Grove in Wrenthorpe and found one of the doors barricaded to prevent entry, prosecutor Jemima Stephenson told Leeds Crown Court. But once the got inside they found a room that had been turned over to the drug that contained 25 plants and all the necessary lighting, fans and irrigation required to help make it grow.

It was estimated that the potential value of the drugs came to more than £11,000. During his police interview the 50-year-old accepted that he was responsible for cultivating the drug.

Sutton, of Thornes Park Court, Wakefield, admitted a single charge of the production of cannabis.

Little mitigation was offered but the court was told that he was “vulnerable” and had been taken advantage of by others.

Judge Robin Mairs told him he would not send him to prison, and instead gave him a community order for two years, telling him he had the “good sense” to plead guilty to the charge.