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A false domestic incident report brought police to the home of a cannabis user.
And Darran Marshall, 53, then tried to shake them up by claiming he only had two plants, a court said.
In fact, Marshall was found with 25 plants when officers searched his apartment in Glenside, Hedworth Estate, Jarrow.
Prosecutor Lesley Burgess said it was a diversionary tactic to cover the full extent of his drug use, a claim he denied in his defense.
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She told the South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court: “There appears to have been a report to the police of a domestic incident.
“The door was opened by Mr. Marshall and there was a very strong smell of cannabis.
“He was asked if he had cannabis and he said, ‘I have two plants. There were about 25 plants.
“He was interviewed in relation to plants. He said he had two plants.
“It was a diversion, that’s what he tried to do to the officers.
“He was asked if he knew he shouldn’t have drugs and he said, ‘This is for personal use’.”
The court heard that Marshall had 13 previous convictions but had not appeared in court for 18 years.
Marshall, who pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis, defended himself and denied misleading the police.
He claimed that he told them that he had “a few plants†and that there had been no domestic incidents as he lived alone.
He admitted that the drug was intended for personal use, both recreational and medical.
When asked if he had a drug abuse problem, he replied, “I got here today so it’s a problem but it’s not an addiction that drives me to commit. misdemeanors.
“I live alone, there was no voice in my apartment.”
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Magistrates said they accepted that Marshall’s cannabis was for personal use.
They fined him £ 200, court costs £ 85 and a victim fine surcharge of £ 34, and ordered the confiscation and destruction of the drugs.
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