Police release picture of a jailed offender who was caught with 145 cannabis plants in Sheffield
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Sheffield Crown Court heard on January 26 how Scott Mair, aged 54, was found at the property on Tipton Street, near Wincobank, Sheffield, by police with the cannabis plants.
Lydia Carroll, prosecuting, said police executed a search warrant at the property and forced open the front door to find Mair in the living room and there were plants found in two bedrooms and an attic.
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Hide AdPolice also found growing equipment, according to Ms Carroll, including lights, extractor fans and transformers and the electricity appeared to have been by-passed.
Judge Michael Slater told Mair: “You have an extensive record which includes various convictions for offences involving drugs and specifically two offences of the exact kind for which you fall to be dealt with today.”
Mair admitted to police he had been growing cannabis which he claimed he had intended to sell to support his class A drug addiction.
The defendant, of The Avenue, Birstall, Batley, West Yorkshire, who has 39 previous convictions including two for producing cannabis, pleaded guilty to producing the class B drug after the raid on July 5, 2019.
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Hide AdMs Carroll said an expert had revealed an estimated, conservative potential yield value for the 145 cannabis plants of £46,980.
She added that the expert also indicated that it was likely from the scale of the operation that the drugs were to be sold to street-dealers.
Defence barrister Francis Edusei, mitigating for Mair, told the court: “He said he was approached by others to embark upon this enterprise.
“Obviously, he was drug-dependent and homeless and the sort of person who would be vulnerable to exploitation of this kind.”
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Hide AdMair had expected to receive a 20 to 25 per cent proportion of the profits from the cannabis, according to Mr Edusei.
Mr Edusei added: “He has come to the conclusion he has got rather old and needs to turn a new leaf.”
Judge Slater sentenced Mair to 32 months of custody.