Two men from Greater Manchester who came to Bradford to harvest a cannabis crop had their sentencing hearing adjourned after a judge’s order was not complied with.

Anthony Corns, 31, of Mallory Walk, Manchester, and Callum Brady, 30, of Westwood Crescent, Eccles, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to production of cannabis in Bradford on July 30, 2019.

They were due to be sentenced today at Bradford Crown Court but Recorder Jeremy Barnett adjourned the case for a mention on October 20.

The court heard that Judge Jonathan Rose, a resident judge at Bradford, had ordered in early July that there should be a response by the Crown to Corns’ basis of plea by the 27th of that month.

Nothing was heard until late yesterday when his barrister learnt by email that the basis was not acceptable.

Recorder Barnett postponed sentence to allow the Crown time to put forward its rea-sons as to why the basis of plea was not accepted.

Both defendants had their bail enlarged.

Recorder Barnett said he was sorry that they had had a wasted journey.

He wasn’t ordering an investigation into the Crown’s failure to respond to Judge Rose’s order because things were very difficult in the pandemic and people were working hard and doing their best.