Man, 44, allowed Telford house to be used for growing cannabis
A man who allowed his former Telford home to be turned into a cannabis factory has avoided an immediate jail term.
Kevin Cuttell pleaded guilty to being concerned in the production of cannabis in December 2015 at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Monday.
Mr Phillip Beardwell, prosecuting, said police went to the 30-year-old’s previous home in Rockall Way, The Rock, following reports that cannabis was being grown there.
He said officers found 20 harvested cannabis plants in plant pots.
The court was told they continued to search the property and found a further 28 plants growing under strong lights and with an extraction facility.
Mr Beardwell said it also looked like another room had been converted for growing cannabis.
Police found Cuttell’s fingerprints at the scene.
Mr Beardwell said although he did not live at the house any more he had helped to set the production up.
He told the court: “There is a significant role, the Crown would say.”
Mr Kevin Jones, representing Cuttell, said he pleaded guilty on the basis that he had been living elsewhere at the time and someone had asked if they could use his property to grow cannabis.
He said Cuttell had two children and his partner was due to give birth in the next 10 days.
He now lived at a property in Hulland Place, Brierley Hill.
Sentencing Cuttell, Judge Jim Tindal told him: “You’ve been here many times before but not for a while. You stupidly allowed your property to be used by someone else to grow cannabis.”
Cuttell was given a one-year prison sentence suspended for two years.
He was also ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work and abide by a three-month curfew between the hours of 8pm and 7am.
Judge Jim Tindal also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs.
