Cannabis 'gardener' caught after being attacked

POLICE called to the aid of a man being beaten up in his home found he had 181 cannabis plants upstairs.

Officers arrived at Quang Vo's house to find a gang of men attacking him, Nottingham Crown Court heard.

They arrested two men, and when they went into the house they found the plants spread across three bedrooms.

The attackers later pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary.

Andrew Tanser, prosecuting in Vo's case, told the court the 33-year-old Vietnamese illegal immigrant was acting as "gardener" for the plants.

He said he had not been allowed to leave the house in Camborne Drive, Aspley.

"He was told not to go to the door if someone knocked and to keep the blinds and windows shut," Mr Tanser said.

The court heard Vo had fled his home country after being promised work in France.

But he soon found he had been conned and got into the back of a lorry bound for England.

He arrived in the country at the end of June this year.

Mr Tanser said Vo was given the equivalent of a year's wage to look after the plants. The equipment to help the plants grow was already in place when he arrived.

In mitigation, Adrian Reynolds said it was an "ironic case" as Vo had been the victim of an attack.

He said Vo had been seeking work as his wife was pregnant with their third child and he was concerned about money.

"He was ordered to water the plants," Mr Reynolds said. "He wasn't allowed to go out of the house.

"He was effectively a prisoner in his own home. His whole stay in England and Nottingham has been a nightmare."

Vo pleaded guilty to producing cannabis. He denied an allegation of bypassing electricity to help the plants grow, which the prosecution accepted.

Judge Jonathan Teare jailed Vo for 18 months, saying he had been lenient because of the circumstances.

He said: "You were ordered to help with that grow rather than being a volunteer."

The judge also recommended Vo is deported when he is released.

marcus.boocock@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk