[420 Girl]

A 44-YEAR-OLD Cheltenham cannabis grower has been given an extra six months to try to sell his home to meet a court's £183,000 confiscation order.

Scott Peters, of Pittville Lawn, Cheltenham, was told in January that he would have to find the cash within six months under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

He was jailed for nearly two years at Gloucester Crown Court last August after he admitted producing 160 cannabis plants with a street value of £50,000 at two addresses.

On Monday, he was back before the court after being released on license from prison.

Judge Martin Picton was told that Peters has not been able to sell his Pittville Lawn flat at a price which would allow him to meet the confiscation order.

Peters had applied to have the confiscation sum reduced because of falling property prices, but Judge Picton said it would be premature to do that.

It would be more appropriate to allow a further six months to sell the flat and if it then went for less than expected the defence could ask for the confiscation sum to be cut, he said.

Peters' barrister, Carole Knotts, said: "There are two properties he has to sell. One was the flat and the other his business premises.

"He has not yet received an offer he has been able to accept for the flat.

"He has been making significant efforts to sell it. The property market is very difficult at the moment."

Mary Harley, prosecuting, said the Crown did not object to Peters being given another six months to try to sell the flat for the predicted price.

When Peters was sentenced last year the court heard that police executed a drugs search at St James Street – a T-shirt printing business in the town which he owned – on January 29, 2009 and smelt cannabis.

Seventy-six plants were found. They would have produced cannabis with a street value of £24,000.

A further warrant was executed at Peters' home and a further 84 plants were found – some in the bath and some in the loft.

These would have produced £26,000 worth of the drug at street prices.



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Website:A 44-YEAR-OLD Cheltenham cannabis grower has been given an extra six months to try to sell his home to meet a court's £183,000 confiscation order.


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