A MAN who claimed to be growing £20,000 worth of cannabis as a painkiller after a dog bit off his nose has avoided prison.
William Curran, 59, was caught after a police raid on his home uncovered seven plants and more than five kilos of leaf and bud.
Curran, of Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, admitted producing cannabis at his former home in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, in December 2011, but said it was for personal use.
Laura Anne Radcliffe, defending, said: “This was a genuine case in which he relied upon cannabis due to the significant amount of pain he was suffering.
“He found himself dependent upon cannabis which he could not afford and so he decided to grow the drug.”
Curran was given one year’s supervision and 200 hours unpaid work on light duties.