Drug grower supplied landlady with high-grade cannabis, court told

Police searched the Crofton home of Craig Anthony Wiper in September last year and found 17 mature 'skunk' plants.

Officers estimated the yield would have been around 1.8kg of the drug, with a street value of £15,330.

Martin Robertshaw, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court that police, acting on intelligence, went to the property on Forage Way and found the 36-year-old at home.

He admitted he had a cannabis grow in the upstairs bedroom where they found a sophisticated operation, with plant feed, timers and filters.

Mr Robertshaw added: "A lot of effort had gone into making this cannabis."

Wiper told the police that he was "skint" and started to grow the drug for his own personal use.

He suggested that his landlady, who was also his partner at the time, allowed him to grow the drug and he supplied her in return for use of the bedroom.

She was cautioned for being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

Wiper has a 11 convictions for 18 previous offences, but none for drugs.

He admitted a charge of producing cannabis.

Ayman Khokhar, mitigating, said Wiper had set up a recruitment company but it folded last year and he turned to cannabis use.

He reiterated that there was an "element of social supply" to his landlady, but there was no evidence of any drug dealing.

He said that Wiper had now moved out of the property, was no longer in a relationship with the woman, and was now living in the Sheffield area.

Judge Simon Phillips QC told him: "It's a substantial production and a relatively sophisticated grow.

"You have admitted it was all for personal use, but it's difficult to understand how it could have been.

"There was an element of social supply."

He handed him an eight-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, along with 80 hours of unpaid work.