A FORMER HGV driver who grew £13,000 of cannabis has been given a suspended prison sentence.

.But Judge Jonathan Gibson told Kyle David Granite that he will have to pay the £500 cost of prosecution his case instead of the public.

Burnley Crown Court heard how father-of-two Kyle David Granite, 25, had set up a ‘sophisticated’ cannabis growing set up in the loft of a mid-terrace house his girlfriend Ellie Rose McIntosh had rented in Clayton-le-Moors.

Granite, 26, of Bridge Street, Rishton, originally let McIntosh take the rap for the cannabis factory but when presented with forensic evidence pointing towards his guilt he took sole responsibility, the court was told.

Prosecuting Emma Kehoe said: “Police executed a search warrant at an address in Maple Street, Clayton-le-Moors on May 6, last year. There was no one present at the time and officers had to force their way in. They found within the loft space what was described as a professional set up for the growing and production of cannabis plants.

“Within the space there were also seven transformers, two fans, plant food, a thermometer and a number of magazines about the production of cannabis.”

In total police found 23 plants weighing 920 grams. The court heard that experts said if sold in individual 0.7 gram deals, the cannabis had a street value of £13,140.

Granite, who has previous convictions for wounding with intent, actual bodily harm, theft and possessing a Class B drug, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis.

Judge Gibson had deferred Granite’s sentencing for six months, with the conditions that he stayed in regular employment and committed no further offences, to allow him to show that he had change.

The court heard that Granite appeared before magistrates last week to answer an allegation of careless driving but that related to an incident which took place before the start of the deferred sentence period. Granite is no longer working as a HGV driver, but his defence barrister Isobel Thomas said he had left that job because he wasn’t getting enough hours from the agency he was attached to.

Judge Gibson sentenced him to nine months imprisonment, but suspended it for 18 months. He was also ordered to complete a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.