A MAN who grew cannabis partly for his own use also sold some of his crop to friends, a court heard.

But, due to a poor yield at a time when police raided his home, Richard Reid was selling the remainder of the plants at a cut-price rate.

Durham Crown Court heard officers called at Reid’s then home address, in Coverdale Court, Newton Aycliffe, on October 12 last year.

Phillip Morley, prosecuting, said a hydroponic growing set-up was discovered in a rear bedroom, cropped leaves were being dried in a second bedroom, while cannabis was also found in paper bags in a downstairs cupboard.

Mr Morley said the value of the recovered drugs in street terms, depending on sale price and quantity, was put at between £340 and £560.

Text messages found on Reid’s phone revealed that due to crop damage he was offering to sell it off “cheap”.

Reid told police that of the ten plants he was growing at the time, five ‘failed’ to yield.

Shaun Routledge, mitigating, said “an associate” left a back door open causing the death of five plants.

Mr Routledge said Reid works full-time as an electrician and grew the cannabis for his own supply as well as to sell a little to friends.

Reid, 32, now of Friar’s Walk, Gateshead, admitted producing and supplying the class B drug.

He was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, and was ordered to pay £425 costs.