A woman from Radcliffe has been handed a community sentence after police discovered a hidden cannabis farm worth up to £13,000 in her home and found cocaine in her bedroom.
Lindsay Cleminshaw, 44, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on 26 January after admitting to cultivating cannabis, abstracting electricity, and possessing a Class A drug.
Police had executed a drugs warrant at Cleminshaw’s home on Rectory Lane on 1 June 2023, forcing entry after receiving no response at the door. Inside, officers uncovered what was described in court as a “sophisticated cannabis farm” with a strong and unmistakable smell of the Class B drug.
They also found that the property’s electricity supply had been bypassed illegally to power the growing equipment. In the bedroom, a rock of cocaine weighing over five grams was recovered, along with digital scales. The cocaine was estimated to have a street value of between £440 and £1,100.
Cleminshaw returned home while officers were still at the scene and was arrested on the spot.
The court was told she had previously received a police caution for growing cannabis and had a history of substance misuse, although this was said to be no longer an issue in her life.
Recorder Fisher, sentencing, said the farm included a “substantial” number of cannabis plants, and the yield was valued between £5,400 and £13,000. Evidence also pointed to an earlier harvest.
The judge noted that the cocaine found was a “substantial amount” for personal possession and reminded Cleminshaw of the seriousness of possessing a Class A substance.
Despite the scale of the discovery, Cleminshaw was spared an immediate custodial sentence. She was given a 12-month community order and must complete 90 hours of unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay a £250 fine and £350 in court costs.
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