Mansfield man's cannabis smoking claim '˜not credible' - police expert

A Mansfield man who claimed he was smoking the cannabis he grew was told the amount was '˜not credible' by a police expert, a court heard.
Mansfield Magistrates CourtMansfield Magistrates Court
Mansfield Magistrates Court

Stephen Partington, 50, of Newton Street, admitted producing the Class B drug at his home address on March 9, when he appeared before magistrates on Thursday.

Police officers carrying out a search warrant forced open the door when there was no reply, said Robert Carr, prosecuting, and discovered 14 cannabis plants in an upstairs bedroom.

They also found cannabis buds drying on sheets of newspaper, electronic scales and debris from a previous grow in the back garden.

In interview Partington told police he had no intention of selling the drugs and smoked a quarter of an ounce of cannabis every day.

“He said he would weigh it using the scales but he didn’t explain why he needed to weight it,” said Mr Carr.

A police drugs expert said the set-up in Partington’s house demonstrated a good level of knowledge and skill.

A yield of between 390 grammes and 1,106 grammes, with a value of £2,100 to £8,400, was estimated.

The drugs expert said Partington’s level of consumption was ‘not credible.’

“He said it wouldn’t be possible to consume the amount Mr Partington talked about in a 24 hour period,” said Mr Carr.

Chris Lacey, mitigating, said Partington suffered from hepatitis C and was an alcoholic. He took around 20 prescribed pills a day to tackle severe stomach pain.

Magistrates gave him a 26 week sentence, suspended for one year. He was also ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £80.

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