A plumber who learned to grow cannabis from YouTube after falling on hard times during lockdown was brought back before the courts.
Joseph Greyo, 33, had been given a suspended sentence last June after setting up a cannabis growing system at his home on Chiltern Drive, the ‘last act of a desperate man’ according to his defence at the time.
But he was brought before the courts again this week after missing two unpaid work appointments.
Brian Kennelly KC, prosecuting, said: “The suggestion is that this breach could be dealt with by the addition of further unpaid work.”
Mr Kennelly told the court that Greyo had missed unpaid work appointments on November 20 and 27 last Autumn.
He had been working away at the time and had failed to tell his offender manager from the probation services.
Last year he had been given a sentence of 34 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months and was ordered to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work.
This was after police raised his home on February 7 where they found that he had grown 28 mature cannabis plants.
He had learned how to grow the plants by watching a YouTube video and had resorted to doing so after falling on hard times during lockdown.
Emily Potter, defending, told the court that Greyo was sincerely sorry and apologetic for missing the appointment but that he had not meant to do so.
He simply not realised, she said, because he had failed to open letters from probation warning him.
Ms Potter said: “He is very regretful and apologetic and accepts he made a genuine mistake with not opening his post.
“He was simply overwhelmed with letters because he was selling his home.”
Judge Nicholas Clarke KC accepted that the breaches were accidental but warned Greyo to take better care in future or continued failure to obey his order could lead to a prison sentence.
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Addressing the defendant, he said: “I accept this is something you didn’t concentrate on.
“Frankly, we want you to stay out of trouble and stay at work.”
Judge Clarke fined Greyo £250 and ordered him to pay costs of £162.
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