A woman in her sixties who was found with hundreds of pounds worth of cannabis plants at her house has avoided jail after a judge heard about her "toxic relationship" and PTSD she suffers following a tragedy where five people died.
The cannabis flowers worth nearly £500 were discovered after police raided the Salford home of 61-year-old Karen Kormoss nearly three years ago.
At the house in Little Hulton officers found two containers of female flowering heads in plastic tubes in Kormoss' bedroom along with digital scales and snap bags, Manchester Crown Court heard.
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In the bin in the rear garden, a further two containers of female flowering heads were found.. The total value of the 48.43g haul was around £485 Paul Dockery, prosecuting, said.
During the raid at her address on Dukesgate Grove on June 29, 2019, Kormoss' phone was seized and analysed with a message between her and another woman who lives nearby was discovered which "made it plain there was an agreement between the defendant and the lady as to the growth of cannabis" and that there had been an investment of around 400 to get it "up and running" Mr Dockery said.
A judge said it was clear "there was to be a further growth of cannabis away from your home."
The results were likely intended to "feed individual habits and possibly a bit more," Mr Dockery said. Three days before the discovery a message discussing the "sudden removal of items from home to home" was also found on her phone.
Kormoss pleaded guilty to one charge of being concerned in the production of cannabis at an earlier hearing.
Michael James, defending said she suffered from a number of physical and mental health issues including PTSD.
"In 2017 she was a neighbour of a lady whose house was attacked and four children died in that attack, and subsequently the lady as well" he said.
"That had a substantial impact on her and she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)."
She also suffers from gastrointestinal problems, anxiety, and depression for which she takes a "cocktail of medication" he said. adding it can sometimes "impact on her ability to make right decisions."
At the time of the offending, she was in a relationship with a man with "a history of drug use, drug importation and a history of domestic violence" and the man, from whom she has now split, had "preyed upon" her and "encouraged" her to begin smoking cannabis Mr James said.
He said it was a "fairly low level operation."
"This is a vulnerable lady who has many problems. She is deeply ashamed at being in court she's found it very traumatic" he added.
He said Kormoss, who last appeared before the courts 11 years ago and who had no previous convictions for offences involving drugs, "wanted help" from the probation service to help tackle her issues.
And a judge said despite the offence crossing the custody threshold, due to her "strong" mitigation he was able to step back from a prison sentence and impose a 12 month community order.
She was ordered to complete 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days as well as being fined £100.
"I accept part of the reason you become involved in this offence was you were in a toxic relationship at the time which thankfully has now ended," Recorder Neil Usher told her.
"You also have a number of mental and physical problems for which requires you to take a cocktail of medication."
He added that he accepted she was "deeply affected" by the events next door to her home in 2017.
He said she had to be considered to have played a "significant" role in the cannabis growing operation but that it was "far from being the most serious example of this type of offence."
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