Cannabis farmer escapes jail by 'skin of his teeth' after police discover £40,000 South Yorkshire drug den
Sheffield judge told cannabis farmer he’d avoided jail by ‘skin of his teeth’
An out-of-work man was caught growing cannabis worth up to £40,000 during a police raid, a court heard.
Przemyslaw Woszczyk, aged 41, was found asleep when police raided a property in Sprotbrough, Doncaster, on April 24 last year.
A search uncovered 124 plants with a value of up to £42,000 and an estimated yield of over 10 kilograms. Over 70 of the plants were classed as “mature”, having grown up to 90cm in height, however the rest were “saplings”.
Prosecutor Stephanie Hollis also told Sheffield Crown Court that electricity had been bypassed at the address.
Judge Peter Hampton told Polish national Woszczyk his offending “evades tax, contributes to the black market and damages people’s mental health”.
Woszczyk’s barrister Ian Hudson said his client had no relevant convictions apart from a drink driving conviction which led to a driving ban and was the catalyst for the cannabis grow - having lost his job as a result.
The defendant claimed to have no relevant offending in Poland either. Judge Peter Hampton told him: “I have treated you as having no relevant previous convictions. I hope for your sake you have not lied about that.
“You were rotating crops and you had put a lot of time and effort into it. You chose to involve yourself in criminality.
“It evades tax, contributes to the black market, damages people’s mental health, there’s a risk of damage to property and the risk of more serious violent crime. You had a significant role.”
However the judge, suspending a 23-month jail term for 18 months, noted Woszczyk’s mitigation was “impressive”, having dependants, no relevant previous convictions and currently being in employment.
Woszczyk, of Clay Flat Lane, New Rossington, admitted cannabis production. Judge Hampton told him: “You would go immediately to prison but have avoided it by the skin of your teeth - there will be no second chances.”
He was handed 200 hours of unpaid work.