A CANNABIS user who was caught growing plants in his house which could have produced thousands of pounds worth of the drug has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.

Graeme Scott, who lives at Quebec House, was discovered in possession of the plants on March 24 this year at the block of flats in Perth Crescent.

The unemployed 33-year-old appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last week to be sentenced for the offence, and for using a copper wire to alter the reading of the amount of electricity registered as being used at the property.

Referring to a social enquiry report prepared for the court, Scott’s defence solicitor Judith Reid told the court: “Mr Scott has been open with the social work department. He has used cannabis for some time and has switched from buying it for personal use to growing it for personal use and I don’t think there is any suggestion of anything else. He relies on the drug simply for recreational purposes. He absolutely accepts his guilt.

“Looking at the report I don’t think there is any reason for my lord to send him to prison. A period of supervision might be appropriate to deal with this matter. There are positives within the report albeit this is a very serious matter.” Sheriff Simon Fraser said: “You are on the very edge of going to custody if there is any repetition you could well be in for a long time. On this occasion however I won’t send you to prison. These plants were worth, at my calculation at the top end — £2,000 to £2,400 — that is a serious amount of dope.” The sheriff placed Scott on a community payback order with the conditions that he be supervised and carry out 240 hours of unpaid work in the community within the next 12 months.