A VULNERABLE homeless man who was set up in a house to ensure a cannabis farm wasn’t ‘taxed’ by rivals has been given a suspended sentence.

Kenneth Worley was allowed to stay in the Darlington property but had no responsibility to tend to the 63 plants growing in the house, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The 47-year-old, who has almost 200 offences on his record, was taken advantage of by more sophisticated criminals his counsel said.

The court heard how Worley’s mother had died around the time of his arrest in January 2020 after she was in a crash on the way to give him a ‘tenner’.

Worley was arrested and charged after police called at the address on Bedford Street, Darlington, to speak to him about another incident when they discovered the cannabis farm.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said the cannabis farm was capable of producing drugs with a street value of between £17,000 and £52,000 according to police.

He said: “He told police that the 'grow' had nothing to do with him and refused to name the person who had offered him the house to live in because he was homeless.

"He knew the plants were there, someone else had a key to the house and would regularly let themselves into water the plants."

Mr Dodds told the court Worley had previous convictions for drug offences from several years ago.

Worley, now of Petch Street, Stockton, pleaded guilty to the charge of being concerned with the production of cannabis on the day he was due to go on trial.

Martin Towers, in mitigation, said his client was 'most certainly not of good character' but had suffered personal tragedy at the time of the offence when lost his mother in a fatal car accident.

He said: "He tells me it was a stolen car which hit a vehicle in which his mother, brother, his brother's girlfriend and their young baby, were all killed and they were in the process of driving to meet him and give him a tenner."

Judge Chris Smith sentenced Worley to eight months in custody, suspended for 18 months after hearing he had managed to stay out of trouble for almost two years.

“You fall to be sentenced to your involvement in a sophisticated grow,” he said. “The police went to your house in January 2020 looking for you for something else and there in your house was this rather significant cannabis grow.

“Your personal circumstances were such that I am satisfied that you were rather vulnerable to exploitation, so for the offer of cheap or free accommodation, you were put to task being the house sitter.

“Keep the lights on and keep those, who might seek to steal from this property, away.”

Worley was also put on a curfew for six months between 8pm and 8am and ordered to take drug rehabilitation requirement for six months.

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