Mansfield man who converted his loft to grow £12,000 of cannabis jailed for nine months
A Mansfield man who converted his loft to grow £12,000 of cannabis has been jailed for nine months, a court heard.
Police discovered 18 plants in the loft when they searched Damian Stansfield's home on an unrelated matter on July 20, 2023.
The electricity had been bypassed and 318 grams of cannabis leaf and female flowering heads were also found in various locations about the property, as well as lights, scales, fans and £500 in cash, said Jon Fountain, prosecuting.
Nottingham Crown Court heard Stansfield has four previous convictions for five offences, including producing cannabis in 2017, for which he received a community order, and possessing the drug in 2018, for which he received a conditional discharge.
Some of the delays were caused by the pressures on the expert witnesses, said Mr Fountain.
Gareth Gimson, mitigating, said there was no suggestion Stansfield was making a fortune and he deserved credit for his early guilty pleas.
He conceded his pre-sentence report “reads as if he was mouthing off to the probation officer,” but he said the defendant has now stopped smoking cannabis.
“He works for Severn Trent in a supervisory role and is drug tested every two weeks,” he said. “He doesn't meet the criteria for any drug intervention. He earns good money. He is in stable accommodation.
"He is desperate to maintain contact with his son," added Mr Gimson. "He has come to court today expecting to go to prison.”
"This wasn't one or two plants on a windowsill," said Judge Mark Watson. "This was a loft given over to a substantial plot."
“You did not consider this to be serious offending,” he told Stansfield. “You showed no remorse and no sense of responsibility. You were indifferent to any punishiment and gave the impression that you could choose your punishment.”
He said Stansfield's attitude towards the probation service was "appalling" and featured verbal abuse; the offence was aggravated by his previous convictions.
Stansfield, aged 34, of Princes Street, Mansfield, admitted producing cannabis and possession with intent to supply on March 12.
On Thursday he received a nine month prison sentence.
He will serve up to half of that term in custody before being released on licence.