A father and son who turned a blind eye to a large cannabis farm in a former church have been spared prison.
Chad Dunn was renting the building to run his motor mechanic business when an unnamed person suggested the spacious attic area could be converted into a drugs factory. By the time police found it, a lucrative and professional set-up was in place and cannabis worth around £40,000 was present.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the electricity meter had also been bypassed, meaning more than £160,000 of power had been stolen. Chad Dunn and his dad, Nevil Dunn, admitted being concerned in the production of cannabis on the basis they merely allowed the farm and ignored its presence.
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It was on June 18 2019 that police executed a search warrant at Hudson Street, South Shields. The downstairs of the building was being used by Chad Dunn to run his motor mechanic business.
Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, said: "The rest of the property was being used as a professional cannabis farm worth many thousands of pounds. It's a large property with garage premises and metal roller shutters.
"Upstairs were two rooms and stairs leading to a substantial upper floor area which looked like an old church hall. In the upper floor area there was a modern, expensively assembed cannabis production area."
There were 72 mature plants, which would have produced five kilos of cannabis, worth up to £23,000. There was also 137 one ounce deals, weighing 3.83 kilos and worth up to almost £20,000. There were also 30 immature plants and 57 seedlings.
Mr Cleasby said: "The scale was obviously commercial. The plants required regular attention and specialist growing equipment had been used."
Chad Dunn, 31, of Inverness Road, Jarrow, was the sole director of the mechanics business and rented the property and Nevil Dunn, 55, of Hopkins Walk, South Shields, paid the rent. Mr Cleasby said: "The business was used as a cover."
The court heard the electricity meter had also been bypassed and the power firm estimated the cost of that would have been £164,484.
The Dunns pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis on the basis they were "aware of and instrumental in allowing the use of the attic as a cannabis farm" and that they were asked to permit the use by someone they felt unable to name. They further said they played no part in the cultivation of the drug and were offered money to ignore its presence but said they did not actually receive any payment.
They were each sentenced to 18 weeks suspended for 12 months with £750 costs and Chad was also told he must do 100 hours unpaid work.
Robin Patton, for Chad Dunn, said: "Somebody decided the space would be better used and his options were limited."
Christopher Knox, for Nevil Dunn, said he kept his dogs in the building, which was a former church. The court heard he and his wife had suffered health problems.
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