A father and son who turned a blind eye to a large cannabis farm in a former church have been spared prison.
Chad Dunn was renting the building to run his motor mechanic business when an unnamed person suggested the spacious attic area could be converted into a drugs factory. By the time police found it, a lucrative and professional set-up was in place and cannabis worth around £40,000 was present.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the electricity meter had also been bypassed, meaning more than £160,000 of power had been stolen. Chad Dunn and his dad, Nevil Dunn, admitted being concerned in the production of cannabis on the basis they merely allowed the farm and ignored its presence.
