Father-and-son who set up cannabis growing operation are spared from jail
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Sheffield Crown Court heard on July 15 how William Hooley, aged 71, and his son Mark Hooley, aged 40, both of Moorland Terrace, Cudworth, Barnsley, had set-up a cannabis operation between their two properties.
Fatima Zafar, prosecuting, said police raided their homes and found a false wall in William Hooley’s garage behind which were six cannabis plants, growing equipment and a check-list.
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Hide AdMiss Zafar added officers also found a cannabis plantation in Mark Hooley’s garage with about 16 plants with growing equipment.
She said the overall operation had a potential value of thousands of pounds.
Judge Rachael Harrison warned the defendants: “If you breach the orders I am making, prison will be the only option.”
Mark Hooley, who has a previous conviction for cultivating cannabis, and his father William Hooley pleaded guilty to producing cannabis after the raid on February 6, 2020.
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Hide AdStephen Littlewood, defending, confirmed there was no suggestion the father-and-son were dealing cannabis.
Mr Littlewood added Mark Hooley had been using cannabis to ease pain problems but he has since sought prescribed medication.
Judge Harrison sentenced William Hooley to a 12-month community order with a two-month curfew, and she sentenced Mark Hooley to a 12-month community order with a three-month curfew, a rehabilitation requirement and 100 hours of unpaid work.
She told both defendants: “If you come back because you breach this order or commit any further offence, you will go to prison.”