High-ho, high-ho, it's off to jail we go!: Owner of huge pot plant decorated with baubles is imprisoned for Christmas

Festive high: Richards'cannabis tree was found along with several others

A homeowner will spend the festive season behind bars after he turned his favourite pot plant into a Christmas tree, complete with baubles.

Ian Richards, 46, had decorated his fully-grown cannabis tree that police discovered after raiding his house.

He was behind bars today after a judge jailed him for 18 months for growing the cannabis plant - and a dozen others in his home in Aylesham, near Canterbury, Kent.



When police executed a search warrant at his home they found a hydroponic cannabis factory set up.



Police constable Derren Dennett, who investigated the case, said: 'In addition, Richards seemed to have got into the festive spirit by having his own special Christmas tree - he had grown one of the cannabis plants to full size and then decorated it with Christmas baubles.

'By using a 5ft tall cannabis plant as a Christmas tree Richards showed a total disregard for the law,' he said.

'One of the bedrooms at his home had been transformed into a very sophisticated cannabis factory.



'He claimed the plants were for his own personal use but the factory clearly had the potential to produce a large quantity of cannabis.

'He is now spending his Christmas in prison and by closing down this cannabis factory we have prevented a large quantity of class B drugs from reaching the streets,' he added.