Father and son grew cannabis (From Craven Herald)

Father and son grew cannabis

2:53pm Thursday 28th June 2012 in News

A father and son were astonished to see how quickly cannabis plants grew outside their home in Rombalds Drive, Skipton.

“They threw some seeds into their garden and low and behold they grew into fine plants,” their solicitor Julian White told Skipton magistrates.

It was so good that recreational cannabis users James Morrissey, 55, and John Morrissey, 27, were inspired to cultivate the drug in their home and bought the equipment online to do the job.

The two men pleaded guilty to jointly growing cannabis – when police raided their home on March 6 they found 12 plants – and were each sentenced to a three months prison sentence suspended for three months.

They were also ordered to obey a curfew from between 7am and 3am for three months and were told they must pay £85 each towards court costs.

The Bench heard that when the police entered the house, James Morrissey was cutting up the plant and told an officer “you’ve caught me red-handed.”

A search revealed 12 plants in various rooms and other equipment for lighting and ventilation.

He later said he and his son grew the drug to feed their own habit and had set up equipment in his daughter’s room after she left home. It was also padlocked so his wife would not have access.

Mr White argued that the level of offence – growing six plants each – was not serious enough to deserve a prison sentence.

After being “inspired” by the way the drug grew in their garden, they made enquiries about growing their own in the house and found the equipment for sale on e-bay.

“They grew the cannabis to save money because of their limited income and entirely for their own use rather than buying from dealers on the street,” Mr White added.