Jack Burrell sentenced for growing cannabis

Jack Burrell, of Heywood Hall Road, Heywood has been given a six month community order with a drug rehabilitation and supervision requirements after he grew more than £17,000 worth of cannabis.

Burnley Crown Court heard that Burrell handed himself into police after his brother was wrongly arrested. He had been growing the cannabis at a house he shared with his brother on Farholme Lane, Bacup.

Officers found the drugs after executing a search warrant and when his brother arrived on the scene during the search he was ‘implicated’ with the offence.

The court then heard how Burrell later admitted his involvement to police and pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and failing to surrender to the court for sentencing having been released on bail.

Police visited the house on 11 December 2013 and forced entry after realising it was empty. Upon a search they found 29 bunches of cannabis in an upstairs bedroom tied with twine and hanging from the ceiling to dry out. Police also found six heat lamps and a larger fan at the house.

The court also heard that officers found four plastic cannabis grinders, a small tub of rooting power and documentation to show Burrell lived at the address.

He later voluntarily attended a police station and accepted that the cannabis and equipment were his.

He also accepted growing the cannabis for three months and the court heard that the bush, capable of producing around 1.7kg or £17,090 in street value deals, was “ready to be cropped”.

Burrell entered a guilty plea and has no previous convictions. The court was told that he failed to attend court last month due to “getting his dates wrong”.