A pensioner who is believed to be Britain's oldest convicted drug dealer was jailed for 18 months yesterday after a court heard that he had more than 400 cannabis plants in his greenhouse. George Axton, 70, was found guilty of cultivating and conspiracy to supply the drug at an earlier trial and was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court yesterday. The court heard that the drugs were worth UKP150,000. Axton, who runs a care home for young adults in Fordingbridge, Hants, was in court with Richard Kershaw, 29, who was sentenced to 15 months and Gavin Harries, 30, who helped tend the crop and was jailed for a year. Both were convicted of the same charges as Axton. David Stone, 32, admitted cultivating cannabis and possession of the Class C drug and was jailed for 18 months. [end]
A judge issued a warning about what he believes to be a clear link between cannabis and crime when jailing a drug user. Judge Anthony Niblett told an arsonist who had set fire to his former girlfriend's house while under the influence of the drug: "Those whose minds are steeped in cannabis are capable of quite extraordinary criminality." Sentencing Peter West, 33, a habitual drug user, at Hove Crown Court, East Sussex, he added: "Your brain has been steeped in cannabis for most of your adult life." [continues 281 words]
