A husband who turned his £1million rural home into a cannabis farm after he started using the drug to self-medicate his cancer has been jailed.
Mark Ayres, 71, was caught with £46,000 of marijuana alongside his wife Marion, 70, when police raided their remote four-bed home in Attleborough, Norfolk.
The couple, who have been married for more than five decades, appeared at Norwich Crown Court on Thursday where they were both sentenced for drug offences.
Mr Ayres began researching the medicinal benefits of the Class-B drug when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, the court heard.
He used the former gym in his home to grow cannabis when the disease returned five years later.
The 71-year-old, who was listed as the director of multiple companies, then started to sell the drug to others.
Danielle O'Donovan, prosecuting, said a warrant to raid the property was executed on May 20 last year when it became apparent the cannabis farm was 'ongoing and of some significance'.
Inside their home, officers discovered 25 cannabis plants and 5.7 kilograms of dry marijuana with an estimated street value of £46,000.
Mark Ayres, 71, was caught with £46,000 of marijuana alongside his wife Marion, 70, after police raided their home
The operation began with eight cannabis plants but expanded to 25 at the time of the couple's arrest
Having previously admitted possession with intent to supply and production of cannabis, Mr Ayres was jailed for three-and-a-half years.
His wife, who admitted production of cannabis for limited period, was given a nine month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
She appeared alongside her husband in the dock.
Jailing Mr Ayres, Recorder John Hardy said the couple had led 'blameless lives' and 'should have been looking forward to the golden years of retirement'.
He added that following 'health difficulties' the defendant had developed a cannabis operation that 'hid behind a veneer of respectability'.
Mitigating for the couple, Andrew Oliver said following his cancer diagnosis in 2018, Mr Ayres 'undertook a great deal of research relating to the medicinal benefits of cannabis'.
He said his client initially used CBD oil, a legal product in the UK to medicate, but after his cancer returned in 2023, he wanted to 'throw everything and anything at his treatment'.
Mr Oliver added that Mr Ayres had lost one of his parents and his father-in-law to cancer aged 70 and 74.
Inside the four-bedroom property in Attleborough, Norfolk, officers found 5.7 kilograms of dry cannabis
'The way in which he did this was by using cannabis,' he said.
The barrister said the operation was initially small with eight cannabis plants but expanded to 25 at the time of the couple's arrest.
'This is a man who was deeply affected by his diagnosis who grew cannabis to help him with the effects of the disease.'
Mr Ayres led a 'law-abiding' life, had no previous convictions and had not used cannabis since his arrest.
He also regretted the fact his wife was drawn into the operation which Mr Oliver said was a 'one-man band', the court heard.
He added that Mrs Ayres 'acquiesced him doing it and on one occasion bought some bags off the internet for the drugs.
Speaking after sentencing, Sergeant Dan Shelley said, 'Drug production and supply can have a hugely damaging impact on our communities and we continue to take action against those responsible.
'We'd encourage anyone who has concerns about drugs in their neighbourhood to report it to police so we can identify and investigate any suspected criminal activity.'
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