8:06 am, November 14, 2022
A car salesman has avoided jail after admitting to growing large amounts of cannabis at a house in Yorkshire.
Owen Simmonds, 31, pleaded guilty to growing 21 cannabis plants at a property in Horbury, Wakefield, in May 2020.
While few details were given about the case at Leeds Crown Court, it was revealed that Simmonds works as a car salesman at a local dealership.
No mitigation was given in his defence and the car dealer was given a dressing down from judge Christopher Batty.
He was warned that the crime was serious enough to land him in prison with the judge telling him he took a ‘dim view’ of those who grow and deal drugs.
However, an exception was made after a female defendant got away with a £500 fine last month for allowing the premises to be used to grow the plants.
Simmonds was given a nine-month sentence, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay court costs, the Yorkshire Evening Post reports.
Judge Batty said: ‘I do not like cannabis….I do not mean my own personal consumption, I have never tried it.
‘It’s dangerous. It’s not good for people. I know people and have heard stories in this court, particularly youngsters, in which it has affected their mental health.
‘I take a dim view on those who grow or supply it, but I can take an exceptional course in this case.
‘It does cross the custody threshold. It’s a determined attempt to break the law.’
