A prolific drug dealer who was caught with £15,000 worth of cannabis at his home has been jailed.

Neil Shaw, 56, grew over 1kg worth of cannabis at a rented property before drying them out and packaging it at his home, a court heard.

Officers raided his property on Grove Street in Oswaldtwistle and found large amounts of cannabis and cannabis skunk split into bags.

More than 900g worth of the drug was placed into a heat-sealed foil package hidden in a cabinet in Shaw’s bedroom. Weighing scales and snap bags were also recovered.

Emma Kehoe, prosecuting, told Burnley Crown Court how drug-related text messages were found on Shaw’s mobile phone sent to two people.

When interviewed by police Shaw admitted growing 10 cannabis plants at a rented property and then drying them out at his home.

He told officers that the drugs were for his own personal use, helped to ‘calm him down’ and that he was ‘no longer a violent man as he was in the past’.

Shaw pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis with intent to supply and was jailed for 10 months.

The court heard how he was previously jailed on three separate occasions totalling over nine years for drugs possession and supply offences.

Peter Turner, defending, said Shaw deserved credit for his early guilty plea and that he was a ‘substantial’ cannabis user to ‘alleviate pain’.

He told the court: “He’s a man who was violent and a drug dealer and he’s looking at his own mortality. He is confined to his home. He’s very ill in many ways.

“The probation service have had their fill of him. He has been unpleasant to them in the past.

“You have before you a broken and damaged man who is no longer the person who society has to fear. His social life is nil. The visits from his son are important to him.”

Judge Beverley Lunt said Shaw was fit enough to be sent to prison.

Sentencing, she said: “There can be few people who know better than you the consequences, six years after your last conviction, of being found in possession of such a large amount of cannabis and skunk. £15,000 worth.

“You had grown it, you had harvested it and you had packaged it in quite a professional way and you were also prepared to supply it to [a] friend who would text you and ask you for the drug.

“I have read with great care the medical reports upon you and the list of medications and I’m entirely satisfied that your health problems are not such that you shouldn’t serve an immediate sentence of imprisonment which is plainly justified for such a large quantity and value.”