[420 Girl]

A woman spent thousands of pounds cultivating her own supply of cannabis plants in a bid to dull the pain of a life-long illness, a court heard.

Michelle Robinson, 35, was allowed to walk out of Teesside Crown Court today after pleading guilty to producing cannabis at her Hartlepool home.

Prosecutor Sharon Elves told the court that the mother-of-three had suffered polio as a toddler and had resorted to using the illegal drug to combat the pain.

She said police raided her home in West View Road in the town in May, and found four bags of cannabis bush in the property, along with a sophisticated drug farm in an out-house in the garden, which contained 41 plants.

The court was told she had got sick of using street dealers to buy the drug, so decided to grow her own.

She applied to a bank for a car loan and used the cash to have the out-house built. She then sent abroad for the cannabis seeds and began cultivating it herself, purely for her own use.

The specialist lighting and ventilation system required for the plants to grow ran up a quarterly electricity bill of £1,000, however, Ms Robinson obtained the power legally and paid the bill herself.

"She contracted polio at two and by the age of 18 she started using cannabis to relieve the symptoms," said Ms Elves.

"She was unwilling to frequent dealers."

In her defence, lawyer Annelise Haugstad said the drugs were purely for her own use and said the circumstances of the case were not usual for people growing cannabis plants.

She said Ms Robinson rarely left the house and was allergic to a number of pain killers, so had resorted to producing the cannabis plants.

Judge Tony Briggs said it was a sad case and said it was rare for people who cultivated cannabis plants to obtain the electricity legally and then pay the bill.

"It's very unfortunate to see someone in your position in Crown Court," he said.

"However, I see your medical history is unusual," he said.

He handed down an 18 month community order, with 18 months supervision.

He added: "Had this been a commercial operation, I'm afraid you would have been going away for some considerable time."

He ordered the plants be destroyed.

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