A man has been warned he could be sent to prison after he was found growing cannabis in his home.
Shane Hellens pleaded guilty to a charge of producing the Class B drug when he appeared at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court.
Prosecutor Laura Lax said police officers went to Hellens' home in Allendale Terrace, Walker , Newcastle , on May 21 after concerns were raised for his welfare.
The 28-year-old was not there however officers found 29 cannabis plants as well as cuttings in the property.
Ms Lax said: "In one room, there were 27 cannabis plants and a crude lighting system.
"In another bedroom, there was a home-made bench and under it were 36 cannabis cuttings in various stages of growth. There were also two more plants and a further 12 cuttings.
"The defendant made full admissions, saying he was the sole occupier and had set up a farm on his own. No-one had any knowledge of it.
"He said it was for his own personal use and had mental health problems. He confirmed that no-one else had access to his property.
"There were 29 plants in total as well as cuttings and he was using two separate rooms to grow these."
Defence solicitor Michael Crowe told the court there was no suggestion Hellens was a supplier of the drug.
He added: "He is now aged 28 and is unfortunately someone who is affected by mental ill-health.
"He has some mental health conditions, the most significant is bipolar disorder, which he has been diagnosed with for some time.
"He is a user of cannabis and has been for some significant period of time.
"Hitherto, he would purchase cannabis from sellers. He decided that he would try to grow some cannabis himself.
"This was a crude operation. He fully accepted responsibility."
Magistrates adjourned the case until August 9 and asked for probation reports to be prepared. Hellens was told that custody could be one of his sentence options.
