Former dealer tried to flush drugs as police returned to his home

Kane Farmer, 34, was given a suspended sentence in September last year after officers seized 32 grams of cannabis during a raid at his property in Kestrel Close.

Lincoln Crown Court heard police returned to the house on 4 March this year and discovered three small amounts of cannabis.

During the search officers found one gram of cannabis in a grinder, seven grams of cannabis in a toilet bowl and a small amount of cannabis on the stairs.

When questioned by police Farmer admitted having a small amount of cannabis for his own personal use.

The court heard when officers arrived he was rolling a cannabis cigarette on the stairs and tried to flush the remaining cannabis down his toilet.

Farmer pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis. The offence put him breach of a six month suspended prison sentence passed after he admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply following a police raid at his home in October 2015.

On that occasion police found 32 grams of cannabis in a black box.

Messages on Farmer’s phone indicated he had been offering cannabis for sale to known friends to cover his living costs.

Siward James-Moore mitigating told the court Farmer had served three years in the Canadian military and had begun smoking cannabis to deal with childhood problems.

Mr James-Moore said Farmer had stopped smoking cannabis in the last two weeks and moved away from Sleaford to Bolsover to make a fresh start.

“In Sleaford he was only five minutes away from where he could buy cannabis but in Bolsover he is now a recluse and wouldn’t know where to buy it,” Mr James-Moore added.

Passing sentence Judge John Pini QC told Farmer he believed it was his upcoming court appearance that had been his main motivation for stopping his cannabis use.

Judge Pini said: “You knew it was serious because you tried to flush seven grams of cannabis down the toilet when police arrived.”