Indebted and “vulnerable” Sheffield man with autism caught with £37,000 weed grow in flat
The weed’s value was thought to be up to £14,000 in kilo deals and £37,000 at street level
An indebted and “vulnerable” Sheffield man with autism was caught with £37,000 of weed in his flat - having been put “under pressure”, a court heard.
A judge told Aaron Guest, 27, it was clear the grow was not his but he “knew it was there”.
Alice Ibbotson, prosecuting, told Sheffield Crown Court how on February 2, 2024 police executed a warrant at the address on Deer Park Road, Stannington.
Thirty-six plants up to four-and-a-half feet tall were found over two rooms and the electricity had been bypassed.
A forensics officer assessed the value of the haul to be up to £14,000 in kilo deals and £37,000 at street level.
Guest’s defence barrister James Burley said his client - diagnosed with ADHD and autism - had accepted he was the tenant of the flat, telling officers he was “in debt” and “pressure” had been put on his family.
The court heard Guest had four previous convictions for 10 offences including possession and production of cannabis and a dangerous driving matter.
Handing Guest a £50 fine and 38 days of rehabilitation activities, Judge Rachael Harrison told him: “It was not your grow but you knew it was there. You were young and naive and I accept you were put under pressure.
“I have taken your ADHD and autism into account - I know that makes you less streetwise and more vulnerable.”
Guest, of Deer Park Road, admitted producing cannabis.