Suspended sentence for Banbury man growing cannabis in his attic

Richard Osborne, 67, admitted growing the cannabis found in the attic of the historic Banbury farmhouse he shared with his wife, but claimed it was for his personal use.

And he claimed that 1.3kgs of the drug discovered in his car after his arrest off the A34 was going to be turned into cannabis oil, while £10,000 cash hidden beneath a windowsill at his home was the proceeds from the sale of a car.

Jurors at Oxford Crown Court found him guilty in April of possession of criminal property, deciding that the cash was from selling drugs.

Imposing 20 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years on Monday (May 22), Recorder David Whittaker KC said: “In my judgment, punishment can be achieved in this case by suspending the sentence.

“Indeed, given your age, your character and the personal circumstances, it is in my judgment the appropriate sentence in this case.

“But it should not be seen by you to be a lenient sentence.”

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Giving his reasons for not sending Osborne into prison immediately, the judge cited the fact he was a carer for his wife and his lack of previous convictions.

As part of the suspended sentence, the defendant must do 15 rehabilitation activity requirement sessions with the probation service.

During the trial, a jury heard that Osborne’s car was pulled over by the police at the Newbury services in 2021, when they found cannabis worth up to £9,600 dotted around the vehicle and in the pocket of a golf bag.

One of the officers searching the man’s home in Manor Road, Banbury, noticed that the floor space in the attic did not match that of the floor below.

The loft space had been divided in two, with a wardrobe placed against the wall. Prosecutor Matthew Knight told jurors in April: “In a rather Narnia-esque moment, what was revealed to the officer was a cannabis factory.”

Richard Osborne (Image: Oxford Mail)

The drugs farm was well set-up, with tents made from reflective material, fans, and almost five dozen prized female cannabis plants.

Once mature, the cannabis plants could have been harvested to produce 3kgs of cannabis worth roughly £21,000 at mid-market rates.

Following the trial, the Crown Prosecution Service released a number of pictures showing the set-up in Osborne’s loft, and the cash that officers found in the cavity below the windowsill.