East Lothian crime: Man caught growing cannabis at home asks to pay fine over 10 years

An East Lothian man who was caught growing more than 30 cannabis plants within his home asked a sheriff if he could pay off his fine over the next 10 years.

Lee Ingham was found to have been producing the cannabis cultivation when police officers raided his home at Fa’side Drive in Wallyford in 2021. Ingham had 38 plants in various stages of flowering growing in bedrooms at the property which Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told had a street value of between £5,000 and £7,000.

The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to the production of the Class B drug at his home on October 26, 2021 when he appeared at the Capital court last month. The father-of-four returned to the dock for sentencing yesterday where Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss imposed a total fine of £1200.

Ingham then offered to pay the fine at a rate of £10 per month which would have taken him 10 years to pay off the full amount. His offer was refused by the sheriff due to the length of time it would take to pay the amount in full and instead the sheriff said he would accept a payment of £50 per month. Ingham admitted to producing a quantity of cannabis at Fa’side Drive, Wallyford, on October 26, 2021.

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