Man ordered to hand over £1,500 after cannabis raid in Bury St Edmunds
A man who grew cannabis at his home in Bury St Edmunds has been ordered by a judge to hand over £1,500.
Tristan Saul, 36, was caught when police investigating a burglary at a neighbouring property in Kings Road in March last year noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from his cellar.
When the house was searched officers found 23 mature plants, 24 seedlings and small quantities of cannabis leaf and resin.
Saul, who claimed the drug was being produced for his own use, given a four month prison sentence suspended for two years at Ipswich Crown Court in November after pleading guilty to production of a Class B drug.
He was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid community work, remain under Probation Service supervision for a year and take part in a Thinking Skills course.
The court had heard that following his arrest Saul said he had been growing the drug to feed his 20 year addiction which was costing him £150 a fortnight.
Today Saul was in court for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The court heard that specialist financial investigators had established that Saul’s benefit from his crime amounted to £3,500 but he only had available assets amounting to £1,500.
Judge Rupert Overbury ruled that Saul should hand over the full £1,500 within the next three months and warned that failure to comply with that deadline would result in up to 30 days imprisonment.
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Thursday 23 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 4 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 9 C
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