Man's cannabis cultivation was for his own use

David Chalmers (40) also had two kilograms of cannabis in his deep freeze and told police he was planning to extract the oil for his knees.

The crop he had been cultivating at his former home at 4 Coronation Place, Skinflats was said to be worth between £250 to £750 per plant.

Appearing at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday, Chalmers, who now lives in Edinburgh, previously pled guilty to producing the class B drug which police discovered during a raid on August 17 last year.

Defence solicitor Simon Hutchison said Chalmers lived at the property in Skinflats for around five years.

He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and “a problem with his knees”.

Mr Hutchison said: “He was producing the drug to self-medicate and is not dealing with anyone else, it’s simply for his personal use. He takes cannabis oil at night and puts the plants in the freezer and extracts the oil.”

He said the plant material found in the freezer was of minimal value, but conceded that the growing plants were worth thousands.

Mr Hutchison added that Chalmers and his wife had “significant property interests in Thailand” and could easily pay a fine.

Sheriff Craig Caldwell placed Chalmers on a community payback order with the condition he complete 160 hours of unpaid work within four months.