- Roland Leonard worked at The Cat Inn in West Hoathly, West Sussex
- It has been mentioned in the prestigious Michelin guidebooks
- He was arrested after police found plants in his greenhouse and home
- Defiant Leonard says using cannabis helps him cope with high-pressure job
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Cooking up a storm: Roland Leonard flambes in the kitchen of The Cat Inn in West Hoathly. He was fined £340 after admitting a charge of growing cannabis
A chef who worked at a Michelin-rated restaurant grew cannabis alongside his fruit and veg.
Roland Leonard, 43, was arrested after cops found more than 20 plants at his home in West Hoathly, West Sussex.
Some of them were in a garden greenhouse growing next to his tomatoes.
Leonard, the former head chef West Hoathly’s The Cat Inn admitted a charge of producing a class B drug at Crawley Magistrates’ Court. He was fined £340 and ordered to pay further costs of £119.
Speaking after the hearing, on October 22, defiant Leonard said the cannabis was for personal use to help him unwind after work.
‘I want to stand up and represent the tens of thousands of people who are responsible cannabis users,’ he said.
‘I work very long hours day and night – often up to 70 hours a week and I use cannabis to help me unwind.
‘It really helps me to cope with a high-pressure job and I can’t see that I’m causing any harm to anyone else by using it.
‘Everything I do is organic and self-sufficient, including the home-grown cannabis.
‘But the bottom line is I’m not allowed to grow it any more so I won’t be using it any more.’
Leonard, known locally as Max, handed in his notice at the Cat Inn, a 16th-century free house, before being arrested.
He is now taking up a job working with children with learning difficulties.
The father-of-one, who was caught after police raided his home, pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. He said both his current and future employers are aware of the conviction.
Police found these plants growing in a plastic greenhouse on Leonard’s back garden, next to his tomatoes
A further search of inside Leonard’s home revealed these plants beneath a grow light in a bedroom
Mark Kateley, prosecuting, said: ‘On October 2 there was a drugs warrant executed at a premises in West Hoathly.
‘Initially, when police entered the rear garden, they discovered approximately seven cannabis plants inside a plastic greenhouse.
‘The defendant was elsewhere, at a local pub, where he was located and arrested.
‘When conveyed back home, he provided officers with a front door key and a search of a bedroom was carried out, where a further 13 plants were found in addition to equipment such as heat lamps and blackout blinds.
‘He informed the officers he is a user of cannabis, which he smokes for his own personal purposes.
‘He admitted cultivation, albeit on a personal basis for his own benefit.’
Leonard at work. After the hearing he said he used the cannabis to unwind after working long hours
The court heard there was no evidence that Mr Leonard had been dealing the drug
Defending, Christos Christou, said: ‘The defendant is a chef, but is due to commence employment at a charity establishment to work with children with learning difficulties.
‘In his 30s he was drinking heavily every night – often consuming half a bottle of gin but he has since turned to cannabis to deal with stress and anxiety.
‘The reason he grew cannabis at home is because he didn’t want to involve himself in the criminal activity of going out on to the streets to buy it.
‘The plants were grown in his home and in the soil in the garden alongside tomatoes and other vegetables.
‘He is now due to go to his doctor to seek alternative medication.
‘His career up to now has been very good – this was simply a minor blip.’
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