Kirkby man was ‘absolute mug’ for running open-air cannabis farm

A Kirkby man who tried to grow cannabis outdoors on private land near the former site of Bentinck Colliery was described as ‘an absolute mug’ by a judge.
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Rory Langham's open-air farm was uncovered after two men in a black Range Rover were seen in woods off Park Lane, Kirkby, on September 26, 2018.

Lauren Fisher, prosecuting at Nottingham Crown Court, said Langham was arrested with a quantity of deal bags and his co-defendant was carrying a small amount of the class B drug.

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A total of 119 ‘healthy and strong’ plants were found with two bags of cropped cannabis. Police estimated the value was between £14,000 and £74,000.

Read the latest stories from Nottingham Crown Court.Read the latest stories from Nottingham Crown Court.
Read the latest stories from Nottingham Crown Court.

The 41-year-old initially denied being involved and said he was in the area looking for his bird of prey.

The court heard he has no previous convictions for the same offence and he was last in trouble in 2012.

Mr Recorder Michael Auty QC said: "Cannabis plants don't grow desperately well in this climate."

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He told Chris Brewin, Langham's defence counsel: “He has been an absolute mug because there are people that depend on him.

“The response inevitably is ‘you should have thought about this before you did it’, but this was a long time ago and there's a lot to say in his favour.”

The judge set a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act for the week commencing June 6, but said: “I don't think this is likely to go anywhere.”

Langham, of Greenwood Drive, Kirkby, admitted cannabis production, in September last year, after initially denying the charge.

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Mr Recorder Auty told him: “You are a fool, because potentially you put the welfare of your dad and your family in jeopardy by doing this.

“But it was three-and-a-half years ago. I am old enough to know there will be a large amount of wastage. Knowing precisely what this crop would have yielded is very difficult. It's a difficult case to categorise.”

He jailed Langham for two years, suspended for two years and ordered him to complete up to 30 rehabilitation days, ‘designed to stop you doing daft things in the future, quite frankly’.

He told Langham: “Please don't come back before the court again – you're too old.”

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