A MAN caught growing herbal cannabis with a potential value of £7,600 at his Drumry home has been warned he could face a prison sentence.

Police discovered 19 mature plants at Daniel Gorman’s Onslow Road home in February.

The 60-year-old’s solicitor told a court hearing this week that his client had “several disabilities”, suffered from arthritis, and claimed the plants were for personal, medicinal use.

But a sheriff told Gorman that he would need more background information before deciding whether or not to send him to jail.

Gorman appeared at a sentencing hearing at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last Friday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to a charge of producing a controlled Class B drug.

Kara Watt, prosecuting, told the court: “Police searched the property with a warrant on February 9.

“Entry was forced and they found what appeared to be a cannabis cultivation of 19 plants, and other equipment including an extractor fan, a lamp, tents, plant food, soil and plant pots.

“No-one was within the property at the time of the search. On February 13 the accused attended Clydebank police office, by which time samples had tested positive for cannabis.”

Ms Watt said the drugs found had an estimated value of between £200 and £400 per plant, giving a total value for the whole cultivation of between £3,800 and £7,600.

Gorman’s solicitor, Phil Lafferty, told Sheriff William Gallacher: “I hope you will accept his explanation that the purpose in this was not anything more than ‘medicinal’, if I can use that term.

“This was a misguided attempt to provide an alternative therapy for himself – it’s as simple as that.”

Mr Lafferty said Gorman’s health issues might make a punishment of unpaid work impractical.

Sheriff Gallacher observed that it was “a pretty determined effort” to grow a controlled drug, and added: “This is not a trivial matter. My sentencing options are very, very limited.”

Sentence on Gorman was deferred until January 21 for reports.