Doncaster man caught growing £18K worth of cannabis in his spare room

Paul Woolrich had admitted production of cannabis at an earlier hearing at Doncaster Magistrates’ Court, but the offence was deemed to be so serious that his case was sent to Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing.

The court was told on Tuesday, December 15, that Woolrich, 46, of Wensley Crescent, Bentley, Doncaster, was discovered with 189kg of the Class B drug, made up of 18 plants, along with cultivation equipment, when police raided his home in November last year.

Prosecuting, Conor Quinn told the court that the drugs would have an approximate street value of £18,600.

He said: “He said that he had produced the drug doe his own use and that it would have lasted him until the following Christmas, but on that basis he would’ve had to smoke 28 joints per day.”

He added that, based on normal consumption, it would have lasted for a total of 944 days.

Mitigating, Edward Moss told the court that Woolrich was of previous good character and had a “very responsible job”. He also urged Judge Rachael Harrison not to send him to prison due to the current difficulties caused by the Covid pandemic.

He said: “He hopes to put this matter behind him and this is an opportunity for him to move on. He says he will do anything that is placed before him and he would like to be given the opportunity of showing that this was a one-off blip.”

Sentencing Woolrich to a 12-month community order to include 200 hours of unpaid work, Judge Harrison told him: “If you break the laws of this land you will pay the consequences. If you put your important job above the order I’m going to impose, you will go to prison. If you commit any other offence you will go to prison, and if you fail to complete this order you will go to prison.”

She also ordered that the drugs and cultivation equipment be forfeited and destroyed.

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