A pensioner who ran a cannabis factory with his son and was found with indecent images of children has refused to return from the Caribbean to escape prison. He was part of a conspiracy in which 156 plants were being grown in an attic, with a potential value of up to more than £100,000.
William Dolbear Sr, 73, was arrested along with his son William Samuel Dolbear Jr, 30, on November 6, 2019, after a house in Bridgend was raided by police and a cannabis factory discovered in the attic. The smell of cannabis upon entering the house was "overwhelming" and the set up was described as a "highly professional commercial operation".
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard there were five separate growing areas, illuminated by six high-powered 600 watt lamps, three carbon filters, dehumidifiers and extraction fans. The potential yield of the plants were between 160 and 498 ounces, with a value between £28,220 and £109,560. There were also 111 seedling plants, with a value up to £73,260.
