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Gas man "sniffed" out drugs
A GAS engineer alerted police after finding a cannabis farm worth thousands of pounds in a bedroom.
Police seized 22 cannabis plants at Martin Andrew Roberts' home in Chandlers Close, Hartlepool Marina.
Lilian Atkinson, prosecuting at Hartlepool Magistrates' Court, said: "A British Gas engineer had gone to the premises and found a cannabis farm. Police were contacted.
"The police arrived and the defendant was present. He spoke to officers and was heard to say 'typical, there was a week to go. I would have got six grand for that next week'."
But Roberts' solicitor, Neil Taylor, disputed this and said there was no evidence because a police community support officer who was alleged to have heard the comment did not ask a police officer to make a note.
Mr Taylor added that the prosecution's own evidence from an expert at Hartlepool Police's drugs unit showed the drugs to be worth a maximum of 3,960.
Ms Atkinson said Roberts, 23, was interviewed and confirmed he was the owner of the house and had lived there for three years, but made no comment about the cannabis plants.
Roberts, who was given a 12-month community order for assault in May last year, admitted cultivating cannabis plants on August 28 last year.
Neil Taylor, mitigating, said the alleged comment said to have been given to police had "no credence".
He added: "Evidence from the prosecution officer is given from the amount potentially available by the sale of those drugs and it doesn't quite amount the officer says she heard.
"The police's drugs expert said it would be between 1,980 and 3,960."
Roberts was sentenced to a 12-month community order and a three-month curfew from 8pm until 7am
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Weather for Hartlepool
Monday 13 February 2012
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