A JUDGE highlighted the increase in cannabis farms being discovered across West Yorkshire as he jailed a Huddersfield man for six months.
Judge Roger Scott said there had been "a veritable explosion" in the number of such premises being set up and he noted recent reports which suggested that the region was the worst place in the country for cannabis farms.
The judge said such offences were plainly endemic in the area and it appeared that one farm a day was being uncovered over a 12-month period.
Yesterday he jailed 29-year-old Shakuat Ali after hearing how police discovered 35 cannabis plants growing at his home in Holly Road, Thornton Lodge last summer.
Prosecutor Paul Nicholson said police also found smaller plants in the attic and recovered growing equipment such as fans, reflective sheeting and scales.
Bradford Crown Court heard that the long-time cannabis user Ali had used a book "Indoor Marijuana Horticulture – the Indoor Bible" to set up his small-scale operation.
Barrister Nicholas Barker, for Ali, stressed that his client had been growing the plants for his own use and he described the operation as small-holding rather than a commercial cannabis farm.
He urged Judge Scott not to jail his client immediately and he explained how Ali acted as a carer for his sister who suffers from multiple sclerosis.
But Judge Scott told Ali: "You could not have chosen a worst day to come in front of me for sentence.
"Before I came to court this morning I looked at the television screen and there it was that West Yorkshire in 2007 and 2008 was the worst place in the United Kingdom for cannabis farms."
The judge conceded that Ali had not been involved in large-scale commercial cannabis growing, but he noted that he had a previous conviction for dealing in cannabis.
"You weren’t sent to custody then and you didn’t learn your lesson," said Judge Scott.
"It is quite apparent folk in this area of West Yorkshire need to be told if they are caught – even on a small scale like you – they are likely to go to custody."
Ali, who pleaded guilty to a charge of cultivating cannabis, will have to serve half of his six-month sentence, but he could be released sooner on a tag.
