A chef who tried to save his struggling restaurant by starting a cannabis farm was caught when a bailiff found his secret growing room.
Brian McCurry hoped to make £10,000 to keep his creditors at bay but a sharp eyed bailiff tracked down his hidden assets when he realised that the rooms inside the restaurant did not conform to the floor plan.
He found a hidden door concealed behind a curtain and when he looked through the keyhole he could see the bright lights which McCurry was using to speed up the growth of his 22 cannabis plants.
The 35-year-old Irishman from Mid Devon was spared jail after telling a Judge:"It was stupid but I was desperate."
McCurry, of New Street, Cullompton, admitted production of cannabis at The Cellar Restaurant in Fore Street, Tiverton, and was jailed for 16 months, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay £440 costs at Exeter Crown Court.
Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, said:"You were hoping to make £10,000 to pay your rent arrears. You played a significant role and were motivated by financial advantage.
"I am willing to suspend this sentence because you have not been in trouble for 15 years or so."
Mr Gordon Richings, prosecuting, said bailiff Darren Evans was sent into the restaurant on January 17 this year by the landlord because of unpaid rent and became suspicious.
He said:"The locks were changed and when he began to make an inventory of the furniture he noticed the floor plan did not correspond to the floor area of the restaurant.
"He searched around and found a curtain against a wall. He drew it aside and found a makeshift door which did not look as if it had been made professionally.
"He saw a very bright light coming through the keyhole and when he looked inside he immediately smelled a strong scent of cannabis.
"He saw lights and plants and knew this was suspicious. He formed the opinion cannabis was being grown in the hidden room because he said he had seen similar things on the television.
"The police were called and found 22 plants in various stages of growth in the sealed-off room along with lights, ventilation equipment and other paraphernalia.
"There were estimates by the police of the potential yield which varied from 616 to 1,848 grams."
McCurry was not represented but told the Judge he had only just started the cannabis growing operation.
He said:"It was my first time doing it. I'm very sorry for what I did. It was stupid but I was desperate. It will never happen again."
