Manningham cannabis farmer Ricky Strickfuss spared jail

The commercial grow, in a three-storey terrace house in Leamington Street, Manningham, was gone when the police arrived on the scene after a tip-off from a concerned member of the public.

The occupier of the property, Ricky Strickfuss, had been attacked by the intruders and was treated in hospital for his injuries, prosecutor Philip Adams said on Tuesday.

Strickfuss, 24, was arrested and charged with production of cannabis.

His barrister, Stephen Wood, said it was not possible to put a value on the cannabis plants because there were none left at the scene, but he conceded it was a commercially sized grow.

Mr Adams said the cannabis factory was on two floors of the house.

A wardrobe was used to dry the drug and the walls were lined with plastic sheeting. There was special lighting and the electricity meter had been bypassed.

The unidentified gang of armed raiders struck at about 3am on May 13. Strickfuss was locked in the property when the police arrived and they had to force their way in.

He was treated for an injury to his hand after the intruders used violence to make off with the plants.

Mr Adams said that the police seized £287 in cash from the house.

Mr Wood said that Strickfuss was a shopfitter with no previous convictions.

At first he said the cannabis was for his own use, but he pleaded guilty to the offence at the magistrates’ court.

Judge Jonathan Rose sentenced Strickfuss to eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, with 180 hours of unpaid work.

He told him: “I hope very much that this entire episode has been a lesson for you.”

Not only was it illegal to use cannabis, growing the drug could be a magnet for robbers.

“It is an attractive cash crop, something to be stolen. It encourages other criminals, who don’t want to grow their own cannabis, to come and steal yours,” Judge Rose said.

He made an order forfeiting the cash seized from the house and the drug growing paraphernalia.