Police discovered a cannabis farm above a chip shop after the owner was attacked.
Mahir Berkpinar led officers straight to the large grow after reporting that he had been been assaulted by his business partner. He had been promised £1,000 per month to allow the operation to be run on his premises, and found himself in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court as a resut.
Stephen McNally, prosecuting, described how the 42-year-old called the police on December 4 2020 to report that he had be subjected to the assault. Officers attended Mike and Martha's, the chippy on Winwick Street in Warrington town centre which he owned, and upon arrival Berkpinar "led them upstairs" to the flat above the takeaway.
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There, they found a total of 89 cannabis plants growing across two bedrooms. The "relatively sophisticated setup" was accompanied by lighting rigs and insulation, and had a potential yield of between 2.5kg and 7.5kg. Under interview, the defendant said he had agreed to payments of £1,000 each month to permit the drugs factory but was never paid.
Berkpinar, who has one previous conviction, appeared to be wiping tears away during the hearing today, Thursday. Simeon Evans, defending, stated that he had been attacked after a row over the farm - his client having wanted it dismantling.
Mr Evans added: "It is an unusual case. Mr Berkpinar does seem to be someone who can be rehabilitated given his lack of previous convictions."
Berkpinar, of Ramsey Close in Luton, admitted permitting a premises to be used for the production of cannabis. He was handed an eight-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months, 120 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 10 days.
Sentencing, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: "You were not the principle player in the cultivation of the crop, but stood to gain indirectly by a not inconsiderable monthly payment. There was a degree of presenting the premises as a legitimate business, but all the time the cannabis was growing.
"The number of plants could have resulted in a substantial profit had the group ended up on the streets. Clearly, the circumstances are unusual.
"I am prepared, with some hesitation, to accept that you had become disassociated from the enterprise and perhaps for more noble reasons that you had not received your pay. I am prepared to accept that you decided this crop had to be taken away, and so you led the police to it."
Forfeiture and destruction of the drugs and paraphernalia, as well as of an axe seized from the property, was also ordered. Berkpinar was told to pay a victim surcharge.
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