A man who admitted to growing cannabis as “something of an experiment” was fined yesterday at Elgin Sheriff Court.
Cosmo Glaisyer-Hall produced the class B drug at his property in Elgin earlier this year, but was caught out when a caretaker inspecting the building found it.
The accused lived at 33 Weaver Place in Elgin at the time of the incident, on Monday, May 11.
When a caretaker attended the block of flats to ensure they were clean, his attention was drawn to a bright light visible in a cupboard belonging to Glaisyer-Hall.
Fiscal Kevin Corrins said: “The gentleman opened the cupboard and discovered a plant about 3ft high, and recognised a smell he thought to be cannabis.
“At this time, the accused was in the property, but was asleep in the living room.”
Police later attended the address and removed the plant, the product of which was reckoned to have a potential street value of £295.
The equipment Glaisyer-Hall had used to nurture the plant was confiscated, and he admitted to charges of producing a controlled drug and possession of cannabis resin.
Yesterday the 30-year-old’s solicitor, Stephen Carty, said it was unusual for people cultivating their own cannabis to grow only one plant.
Mr Carty said: “I can’t think of anybody who has been just growing one cannabis plant, it’s normally the case that people grow several at once.
“Had there been any output from this plant, then that would have been used by my client on his own.
“This was something of an experiment, but one which was very ill-guided at best.”
Mr Carty added that Glaisyer-Hall, of 28 West Street in Buckie, has no previous drug convictions.
Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov fined the accused £400, saying that she had taken all mitigating factors into account.
