Longsdon grandad grew cannabis crop in his stables
A GRANDFATHER who grew cannabis to help his precarious financial position has been jailed for eight months.
Andrew Fox, aged 58, made a commercial decision to grow the class B drug in stables at his Moorlands home, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard yesterday.
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Prosecutor Fiona Cortese said police raided Fox's home, St James Chapel, in School Lane, Longsdon, on October 14 last year.
"Officers could smell cannabis. The defendant confirmed it was present and kept in stables," said Miss Cortese.
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"Police saw electric fans working and a large amount of screens. They saw 67 adult plants and 189 small plants growing in two stables with a hydroponic set up. There was also a carrier bag containing cannabis vegetation."
The court heard the mature plants would have had a street value of between £3,120 and £7,180.
The 189 small plants, which were 10 to 12 weeks away from maturity, would have had a street value of between £8,640 and £20,030.
Fox pleaded guilty to producing cannabis between February 2009 and October 2011.
He entered his plea on a basis he grew the class B drug in 2009 under pressure from others. The crop was of little or no use and he was beaten by the people it was grown for.
He accepted he re-started growing cannabis between May 2010 and October 2011 and that he grew the plants to sell.
Jason Holt, mitigating, said Fox was exploited by others.
He had factories which had problems and he ended up with a huge tax bill.
"Some people suggested the factories be used," said Mr Holt.
"He was extremely naive about what was being said to him and he used his outbuildings in his own premises. When the first crop failed he was beaten.
"There was a great deal of pressure and coercion placed on him.
"But he did go in it to get money to try and help the precarious financial position he was in."
Mr Holt said Fox was ashamed and asked Judge Robert Trevor-Jones to suspend the inevitable custodial sentence.
But the judge said there had to be an immediate term of prison and jailed Fox for eight months.
He told the defendant: "It is a sad day in many ways because you are now in a crown court at 58 years of age.
"You fell to temptation. It was a commercial decision. It began in 2009 for six months. It was a failure and you were beaten up.
"But you resumed growing in May 2010 and continued until the police were called in October 2011, something in the order of nearly 18 months of growing crops. There were several crops of cannabis and significant amounts.
"It may be your cut was relatively modest but the amount of cannabis was very substantial and there were repeated crops. This was a purely commercial operation to try and better your straightened circumstances."
Comments
by Johntoe
Sunday, September 30 2012, 9:49AM
“HAHA the troll has the audacity to acuse others of making "weird posts" you don't need to make it up, just check out the UTTER garbage he comes out with,
On Friday, September 28 2012, at 11:46PM he says,
"Oh dear, no irrational stoner outburst against my comment yet ;-)"
This is less than an hour after his previous 'irrational' post at 10.50PM,
THERE we have it folks right from the trolls mouth so to speak, Within around 25-30 minutes of spouting one load of 'irrational' garbage the addiction begins to kick in,
"oooh no one has responded to me, I am insignificant no one cares enough about my 'irrational' tripe enough to respond, I can feel my 'parts' shrinking, Better post some more garbage surely someone will reaffirm my importance by responding"
CLASSIC 'troll' behaviour, posting 'irrational' garbage in order to get a 'kick' out of people's responses,
PLEASE just ignore it, without getting the 'fix' he craves he will wander off, leaving the comments sections to those of us (pro and anti) who wish to have a polite and adult debate without the village idiot shouting for attention from the sidelines,”
by SourAlienOG
Saturday, September 29 2012, 8:26PM
“fissionchips
Your obviously a drug dealer, and you know prohibition is coming to an end and you would say anything, no matter how stupid, to convince people prohibition works so you can carry on selling drugs. Sorry, you will be out of the job soon pal, its inevitable.”
by fissionchips
Saturday, September 29 2012, 7:59AM
“A starter for ten.
What might someone be doing in the 2 hours 39 minutes between making two very weird posts at 12.03am and 2.42 am.
The words to that Vincent song spring to mind and might help.
http://tinyurl.com/2ealq8e
"Now I understand what you tried to say to me
how you suffered for your sanity
how you tried to set them free.
They would not listen
they did not know how
perhaps they'll listen now
Troubled, troubled night."
Nah Vincent's problem was just sunflowers and not…….{:-(……”
by Redtone
Saturday, September 29 2012, 2:42AM
“Now you put it like that camband - I think I'll build one mate!”
by Redtone
Saturday, September 29 2012, 12:03AM
“Anyone else feel a draught or get a nosebleed then?”
by fissionchips
Friday, September 28 2012, 11:46PM
“Oh dear, no irrational stoner outburst against my comment yet ;-)
They'll all be down at the pub getting tanked up on what they term that most dangerous drug ethanol and a pack of fags. Then after the kebab a red eye look in the mirror and the oft asked question, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall am I the most useless scumbag of all?"
Even stoner's mirror is sick of the sight of him and just says "Just light your spliff you smelly useless scumbag."
Hahahaha, have a paranoid night oooooohhhhhhhhhh, oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh!!
Remember to sing yourself to sleep and here's a nice relaxing song:
You've got me under your skin
You've got me deep in the brain of you
So deep in your brain I'm really a part of you
You've got me under your skin
You tried so not to give in
I said to myself this humiliation will go so well
But why should you try to resist when, stoner, you know darn well
You've got me under your skin”
by fissionchips
Friday, September 28 2012, 10:50PM
“It makes no difference 18 or 98, grandkid, granddad or great granddad, cannabis should incur the same cleansing treatment laid down in Indonesian Law:
Group 1 drugs are viewed by the Indonesian government as therapeutically useless with a high potential for causing addiction. Group 1 drugs merit the weightiest sentences - life imprisonment for possession, and the death penalty for convicted drug traffickers.
Possession is punishable by 4 to 12 years' imprisonment, and fines of IDR 800 million to 8 billion (US$89,600 to US$896,000). If the drugs exceed 1 kilogram (for raw drugs like marijuana) or 5 grams (for processed drugs like heroin and cocaine), a maximum punishment of life imprisonment may be imposed.
Trafficking is punishable by 5 to 15 years' imprisonment and fines of IDR one billion to ten billion (US$112,000 to US$1.2 million). If the volume of drugs exceeds 1 kilogram (for raw drugs) or 5 grams (for processed drugs), the death penalty may be imposed.
Drugs in Group 1, a partial list: heroin, cocaine, MARIJUANA, hashish, mescaline, MDMA (ecstasy), psilocybin, mescaline, LSD, amphetamine, methamphetamine, opium and its derivatives.
Oh and all stoners are scumbags and stink poooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
Next year is GRASS ON A STONER year.
oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh hahaha paranoia ;-)”
by camband
Friday, September 28 2012, 10:19PM
“It's simple really Redtone. The people who write these headlines are, like some 'stalkers' on here -bits of kids, with little experience the wider world, and more importantly, don't even know modern social history.
Yet they are charged with 'leading' us -with headlines such as this, -supposedly 'eye-catching' -and provoking narrow minded bigoted comments from the 'plebs' -YES, PLEBS.
Put one together ar kid....”
by Redtone
Friday, September 28 2012, 9:27PM
“Good point camband - why mention the guy is a grandad?
Aren't we the Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, White Rabbit generation?
FEED YOUR HEAD!!!”
by camband
Friday, September 28 2012, 9:07PM
“We never get headlines such as ... "Grandson Grew Cannabis Crop'.
People aged over 65 would be 'children of the revolution' -going for it in the swinging sixties and partaking like there was no tomorrow -with the Beatles getting nicked; the Stones getting nicked; et al ... Woodstock -the whole caboodle ..From 'keepin' on truckin' to 'free-love' -right through to 'nice one -sorted'.....
So why the 'shock-horror' GRANDAD bit? Par for the course.”