A WOMAN who grew her own cannabis worth thousands of pounds to avoid the “seedy” drugs underworld has been spared jail.

Joanne Dexter, of Terrington St Clement, grew 24 cannabis plants in her greenhouse as she believed it would help with her mental health problems.

The 38-year-old wanted to avoid associating with dealers and had not expected the seeds she bought to yield such a large crop, King’s Lynn Magistrates’ Court heard this week.

Prosecutor Gwen Wallace said the drugs and growing equipment had been discovered during a police search at Dexter’s home in Bullock Road on June 6.

The crop yield had been 1.59kg, of which 0.99kg had been the “best quality” cannabis worth more than �5,500 at �5.64 a gram.

Stuart Cooper, mitigating, said it had been a purely domestic and somewhat unsophisticated operation and Dexter had immediately admitted that she was responsible.

The court heard the mother-of-one, who is unable to work, had suffered long-term depression and anxiety and had previously made suicide attempts.

Dexter had been reluctant to engage with drug dealers and had sought advice and equipment from a shop in King’s Lynn to grow her own cannabis to smoke.

Mr Cooper said she had sold a trailer to “set herself up” and hoped to discreetly cultivate the plants herself so she would not have to be supplied by someone else and enter the “seedy world” of drugs.

Chairman of the bench Jill Skinner said Dexter had been found with a lot of specialist equipment and had been growing the drugs while living with an impressionable 17-year-old son.

Dexter was handed a 26-week prison sentence suspended for two years and was made subject to a 24-month supervision order.

The bench also ordered her to complete 150 hours unpaid work, to pay �85 costs and to take part in a women’s emotional health course.