Gainsborough: Cannabis grower is jailed for 11 months

Police officers stumbled across a cannabis growing operation after being called out to reports of a burglary, Lincoln Crown Court was told.
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Officers arrived at the house in Lea Road, Gainsborough, to find a broken window and signs of forced entry at the property.

Andrew Bailey, prosecuting, told the court that a police officer entered the property and immediately noticed that there was a strong smell of cannabis.

“There was nobody at the property. The officer carried out a search and in a rear bedroom a cannabis grow was found inside a large tent.” said Mr Bailey.

“There were three heat lamps, a filtration system and 10 cannabis plants.”

Shortly afterwards Andrew Dickerson, the occupier of the house, returned home.

“He made full admissions at the scene. He said he was a heavy cannabis user and this was for his own use,” Mr Bailey continued.

“He bought the items off eBay to create his own cannabis set-up. He followed instructions he found on the internet about how to grow cannabis.”

Dickerson,24, formerly of Lea Road, Gainsborough, but now living in Conisbrough, South Yorkshire, admitted unlawful production of cannabis on 3rd July.

He also admitted assaulting the step-father of a former girlfriend during an incident in Edlington near Doncaster, on Boxing Day 2012.

The court was told that Dickerson punched the man once in the face, breaking his nose.

Chris Aspinall, defending, said that at the time of the incident Dickerson was in effect ‘self-medicating’ with cannabis.

“He has now moved away from the area that has caused him so much trouble,” he told the court.

“He has a new partner and he is working intermittently,” he added.

Dickerson was jailed for a total of 11 months for the two offences.

Recorder Martin Jackson told him he had no option but to jail him.

“This was a deliberate offence committed to supply yourself with drugs,” he said.

“I don’t feel that I can suspend the sentence as you have had chance after chance and have continued to commit offences.”