by Paul Hooper

A Seasalter builder – who turned his boat house into a cannabis factory – has escaped going straight to jail.

Paul Lawrence, 50, claimed he was planning to sell his home to pay off mounting business debts when he was scammed by a conman.

After being tricked into doing a £60,000 conversion to secure the sale of the house in Faversham Road, the dad-of-six heard that the man who offered to buy it had been jailed for fraud.

The court heard Michael Brock – a former London Underground technician – had conned solicitors, estate agents and businesses across Herne Bay with wild tales of winning the lottery.

Nicholas Jones, defending, told Canterbury Crown Court that Lawrence was another of the conman’s victims.

As a result, the down-on-his luck builder converted his boat house in Faversham Road – which he owned – so he could start growing cannabis with a potential street value profit of up to £48,000.

“It was a completely crazy plan, “ he added.

Canterbury Crown Court heard that Lawrence had also illegally abstracted more than £4,200 of electricity to run the factory where police found 117 plants growing.

Mr Jones claimed that the builder disputed that his illegal activity should be described as “ a factory”.

“He accepts that the reason he did it was for financial gain. He has worked his entire life as a builder and like so many others in the construction industry has fallen on serious financial times during the present recession.

“ He initially tried to solve those problems by selling his house and struck an agreement with a male to sell it. He agreed to do some expensive and substantial work to secure the sale, some £60,000 worth of work.

“Unfortunately in the meantime the male who he had agreed to sell the house to was arrested and subsequently imprisoned for fraud. It turned out he was a conman. “ he added.

Mr Jones said because of his “dire consequences” he did something that was “completely out of character” and decided to rent out The Boat House to people to grow cannabis – but his involvement then expanded to him helping kit it out.

“However his reaction upon arrest paints a true picture of this man because it was one of relief . He realised that what he had embarked on was completely crazy. He was relieved he was caught and that it was over,” he added.

Lawrence who admitted cultivating cannabis was given a two-year jail sentence which was suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work – and will be under partial “house arrest” for the next six months.

The builder – who will be electronically tagged – has been told to stay in his home between 7pm and 7 am until the end of July.