Cannabis growing dad rumbled by children's headteacher (From Dudley News)

Cannabis growing dad rumbled by children's headteacher

2:59pm Monday 16th July 2012 in News

A FATHER-of-six who set up a cannabis farm in his Netherton home to feed his "heavy" habit was rumbled after his children went to school with their bags smelling of the drug.

The Headmaster noticed the strong smell and alerted police who found the drug factory inside the Gill Street house, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Recorder Nigel Baker QC told Craig Docker, now of Hereford Road, Dudley, it was an aggravating feature of the case that he had started up the drug factory in his domestic environment.

But he said it was to Docker's credit that he had managed to keep out of trouble with the police for a number of years to build a decent life with his family.

Simon Rippon defending said the father had let his family down badly as he stressed, "The plants were all for his personal use to feed his heavy cannabis habit."

He said Docker had been addicted to heroin when he was just 13 years of age but he had managed to rid himself of that Class A drug.

"It was certainly an unusual way for this sort of offence to come to light," he told the court "it has given him the chance to turn his life around."

Docker admitted producing cannabis and was given a 10 month jail term suspended for two years and put on supervision for a year with a condition he attends the drug rehabilitation programme.

Mark Rees prosecuting said the cannabis farm was "not a particularly sophisticated" set up with the drug being grown like bedding plants.
He said police found the remnants of cultivation together with 32 plants which were ready for harvesting and a lighting and heating system.

When questioned after his arrest Docker admitted he was a heavy cannabis user and said he was fed up with the cost of having to buy the drugs on the street.