A WOMAN was pressured into renting premises to allow them to be used for cannabis cultivation, a court was told.

Police found 48 plants growing when they visited the property, in Craddock Street, Spennymoor, on June 4.

Durham Crown Court heard there was a potential yield of 2.16 kilos of skunk cannabis.

Penny Bottomley, mitigating, said officers found a “sophisticated” growing operation, including lighting, plant feed and water pumping systems, and it appeared the property was “solely” rented for growing cannabis.

She said it was rented by Chantelle Mary Welch, who made admissions when questioned by police.

Miss Bottomley told the court: “She said her mother owed money to ‘violent people’ and she was asked to rent it to allow cannabis to be grown, which would cancel out the debt.

“She said she had no responsibility for the growth, and, from renting it to arrest, she has not been back in.

“She merely handed the keys to a person she would not name.”

The court heard Welch is a young mother with no criminal record, other than for motoring offences.

Kieran Rainey, mitigating, told the court: “This is a young woman who regards her actions, in getting into this, as being for the right reasons, to protect her mother and keep those violent thugs away from her mother’s door.

“The Probation Service report author appears impressed by her determination to remain offence-free and she welcomes the chance to make a clean slate.”

Twenty-three-year-old Welch, who was said to be moving from the Spennymoor area, admitted permitting production of a class B drug.

Judge Robert Adams said there was no suggestion she was involved in drug production, as she merely followed instructions to “extinguish” her mother’s debt.

He imposed a 12-month community supervision order and ordered confiscation and destruction of the seized drugs and equipment.