A FATHER-OF-THREE who set up a commercial cannabis farm at his family home has been jailed for a year.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Gary Newham, 32, told police he didn't smoke ‘weed’ and had been growing the drugs solely to make some cash.

He had bypassed his meter and had also run a cable across the road to his friend’s house as the friend had had his electricity cut off.

Newham listened in the dock as his barrister told the court his children were anxious to know if their ‘daddy is going to come home this evening’ for Christmas.

The defendant, of Springfield Road, Burnley, admitted producing cannabis and abstracting electricity.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said police raided Newham’s home at 7.30am on March 1 and were confronted by a strong smell of cannabis.

The defendant was present, with a female and his 10-year-old daughter.

Officers investigated and found a room with 22 young cannabis plants growing and a heat lamp hanging over them.

The window was boarded up and the walls were lined with plastic.

Mr Parker said the plants were sent for analysis and a police officer calculated if they had grown to full maturity, the potential value of the crop could have been £8,800 on the streets.

The defendant was arrested and interviewed and fully co-operated with police. He accepted he was growing cannabis to sell.

He had 22 previous convictions.

John Woodward, defending, said Newham had been trying to earn extra money for the family.

He added: “With it being the festive season, the children are anxiously concerned that daddy is going to come home this evening.”

Sentencing, Judge Beverley Lunt told Newham he had chosen to embark on a commercial enterprise and had seen it as an easy way to make some money.

She added: “Anybody who engages in this as a business will go to prison immediately.”