by Keith Hunt

A dad-of-two who was discovered growing a crop of cannabis in his cellar has been jailed for three years.

Stuart Hemsworth admitted possessing the skunk cannabis with intent to supply and producing cannabis.

Maidstone Crown Court heard police raided his home in Jeyes Road, Gillingham, in July last year.

As well as finding the cannabis, worth up to £18,000, he had £1,220 in cash.

Louise Oakley, defending, told the court his motive for growing the plants was purely for financial gain.

He had been out of work and he and his partner were struggling to pay bills.

"This wasn’t an industrial set-up,” she said. “He is now in full-time employment.”

Hemsworth, 31, had been offered a contract to work on the re-development of Bond Street tube station and any loss of liberty would have a devastating effect, said Miss Oakley.

She submitted a lengthy community order would restrict his free time.

But Mr Recorder Simon Crookenden, QC, told Hemsworth, who has 11 previous convictions for 22 offences, that the matter was so serious that only a custodial sentence was appropriate.

Research had shown, he said, that skunk 18 times more likely than normal cannabis to cause psychosis.

“Although on a limited scale, it was a commercial operation, operated for profit,” he added.

Hemsworth was sentenced to two years for possession of the drug with intent to supply and three years concurrent for producing it.