Man jailed after allowing his Fenland home to be used for growing cannabis

Cannabis with a potential street value of up to 75,000 was found at the house. (Image: Archant)

Daniel Gray, 58, of St Paul’s Road South, Walton Highway, was convicted following a trial at Norwich Crown Court of being concerned in the production

of cannabis and abstracting electricity.

He was sentenced on Monday to 18 months in prison.

The court heard that Gray claimed he had loaned his home out to a man in return for building work and did not know that it had been turned into a cannabis factory and electricity was being illegally abstracted.

However, the jury rejected his account.

Lori Tucker, prosecuting, said the potential street value of the cannabis plants found was between £56,000 and £75,000 and said it was a significant amount of cannabis.

Jailing him, Judge Paul Downes told Gray that it was a “substantial operation” and said he could not have been unaware of what had been going on at his property.

Judge Downes said: “You were a significant player in a very serious case involving a large amount of drugs.”

Michael Procter, for Gray, said: “Gray does not accept the guilty verdict of the jury.

“He does not accept he knew what was going on in the premises.”

However, he now accepted that he should have known what was going on and said he was naive.

Mr Procter said there was no evidence that Gray made any money out of the scheme as his only reward was to get building work done on his property.

A confiscation hearing will be held at a later date to claw back any cash from Gray which he might have made from the cannabis growing operation.