POLICE caught a 60-year-old woman red-handed, tending to the plants at a cannabis factory set up adjacent to her Ryde home.

Mary Richardson admitted producing a large quantity of cannabis, a controlled drug of class B, at a property she owned on Cross Street.

The Isle of Wight Crown Court heard Richardson was caught watering the plants when police turned up to investigate on May 22, 2021.

They had been alerted after a member of the public noticed the smell emanating from the property, in the town centre.

How did police discover the cannabis factory in Ryde?

Police found a large property split into two halves, with Richardson living in one half, and the cannabis cultivation housed in the other.

Martin Booth, prosecuting, said: "When the police opened the curtain they could see Richardson tending to a large crop of cannabis plants.

"It was a cannabis factory. There was feeding, ventilation in place, and a level of sophistication. 89 plants were located, in various sizes."

How much was the cannabis found in the Ryde home worth?

The maximum value a dealer would hope to achieve on the streets from the plants was a yield of up to £74,760, the court heard.

Additionally there was a dried amount, worth up to £9,730 in street value.

An envelope of cannabis was ready to be sent to a London address.

Ryde woman's explanation of why there was a cannabis cultivation in her home

Mr Booth said Richardson had got into significant debt and someone, she wouldn't identify, offered her £650 a month to rent the property for growing cannabis, and she accepted a hands-on role tending the plants.

Jim Osborne, defending Richardson, said it was a sad story because she had lost both her means of income during the Covid pandemic — her work as a mobile hairdresser and the rent she got from her property following a flood.

Mr Osborne said she was 'preyed on while vulnerable' but she fully accepted she knew what was going on.

Woman sentenced at Isle of Wight Crown Court for producing cannabis

Judge Barry McElduff said being in financial difficulty was no excuse and 'most of the country' found themselves in financial hardship due to the pandemic.

He gave her 'credit for her candour' after being apprehended and said she was naive in terms of the drug world.

She was given two years in custody, suspended for 18 months.

She must also complete 150 hours of unpaid work.