A chef who used his culinary skills to make cannabis-infused sweets has been locked up.
William Walker created “edibles” laced with the Class B drug from his home to sell on social media sites Snapchat and Instagram.
A sheriff ignorned pleas from Walker’s solicitor to impose a community order, saying the 30-year-old had “learned nothing” from his previous conviction for cultivating cannabis in 2016.
Dundee Sheriff Court previously heard that police found a haul of equipment used to grow the drug as well as confectionery samples when they raided his home.
While officers were carrying out a search, a postman delivered chocolate moulds used in the operation.
Depute fiscal Nicola Gillespie said: “Cannabis was used as an ingredient to be infused to make edible substances.
“There is an emerging market on social media with prices varying enormously. Single sweets sell for £1-£2 and bars of chocolate from around £15.
“About 749g of waxy yellow substances containing THC – which gives a high similar to smoking the drug – was found.
“A total of 34 sweets were also recovered as well as five bars of chocolate and two chocolate apple-type products.”
Walker, a prisoner at HMP Perth, pleaded guilty on indictment to producing and being concerned in the supply of cannabis on December 27 last year.
He returned to the dock from custody before Sheriff Alastair Carmichael following the production of social work reports.
Solicitor Ian Houston said that the offence was at the “lower end of the scale” for charges of producing cannabis.
Mr Houston said that Walker would benefit from a community-based disposal.
He added: “He has worked for many years in the catering industry and that job would still be available to him.
“My submission is that given the low value, your lordship should give Mr Walker the opportunity of a community payback order.
“He is a family man, he is supporting his partner and child. He is the sole breadwinner.”
Sheriff Carmichael, however, jailed Walker for 14 months.
He said: “You were convicted of cultivating cannabis at jury level in 2016 for which you got a community payback order.
“You have offended in the same way and I conclude that you have learned nothing from that.”
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