A man caught growing cannabis plants at a house in Hamilton has narrowly avoided prison.
A phone call from a woman led police to James Ashcroft.
Cheryl Leggate told officers he was forcing her to cultivate a cannabis crop.
Officers found 27 plants, worth around £5400, in a bedroom of the Hill Street property.
Ashcroft, 54, of Dunkeld Place, Hamilton, appeared at the town's sheriff court this week.
He admitted producing the Class B drug between April 28, 2020, and June 28 that year.
Leggate, 35, of Auchinraith Terrace, Blantyre, walked free when her not guilty plea to the same charge was accepted.
Alice Carey, prosecuting, said officers went to the property after Leggate phoned them.
She told the court: "Leggate met them at the door and let them in.
"The officers saw 25 medium and two small cannabis plants in a bedroom.
"Leggate named Ashcroft as being responsible for the cultivation.
"There were extractor fans in the bedroom and the windows had been blacked out.
"Ashcroft's fingerprints were found on two fans and duct tape."
Sheriff Colin Dunipace said it appeared, from a social work report, that Ashcroft disputed Leggate's claim that he had forced her to become involved.
The sheriff told him: "On a margin, because the value of the cannabis was not the highest and given your lack of previous offending, I'm able to impose a non-custodial sentence."
Ashcroft was placed under supervision for two years and must carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work.
He will be electronically tagged for six months, meaning he can't leave the house between 7pm and 7am.
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did yo u know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head over to our page to give us a like and share.
