Cannabis farm set up in baby’s bedroom

The cannabis, which could have had a street value of more than £7,500, was grown by Paul Rodgers, 32, of Cherry Avenue, Welbeck Estate.

Rodgers, who claimed he was growing the plants to pay off money he owed for heroin, pleaded guilty to charges of producing cannabis and of dishonestly abstracting electricity worth £1,836. He was handed an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months.

Julia King, prosecuting, said: “Police searched the main bedroom, where Rodgers slept with his partner and their baby. In a grow tent were nine cannabis plants in soil and pots. There was a lighting system and a fan. It was a fairly well-organised grow, using specialised equipment.

“The plants were healthy and, on reaching maturity, would have been worth between £1,350 and £7,560. When interviewed by police, he said an associate had threatened him with violence if he didn’t grow them to pay off a drugs debt.”

Miss King said the police found other equipment in a second bedroom.