A WOMAN told police she grew dozens of cannabis plants with her partner in order to pay for a headstone for her late daughter, a court heard.

Carla Holman, 44, was brought before a judge after police found a grow-room in her Walton home in March 2019.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard officers visited her home, which she shared with her partner Jason, 49, due to “an entirely unrelated matter”.

Alec Williams, prosecuting, said: “Upon arrival, they wished to search the entirety of the building for an unrelated matter and during the course of the search a room was located where 64 cannabis plants were under cultivation.”

Admitting producing a Class B drug, Mr Holman was sentenced to six-months imprisonment, suspended for two years, in 2020.

But Mrs Holman’s case took almost three years to reach a conclusion after the plants were found.

She admitted producing a Class B drug.

Gavin Burrell, mitigating, said Mr Holman had originally confessed to running the “entire operation”, claiming his wife knew nothing about it.

But he said Mrs Holman had been very honest in her interview with police.

“I would suggest she explained what the real truth of the matter was,” he said.

“She was trying to generate an income so she could pay for a headstone for her daughter, who died in 2015.”

Judge Patricia Lynch QC said: “I’m glad to hear her partner fell on his sword, it was the decent thing to do.”

After reading a report detailing Mrs Holman’s struggles with her mental health, Judge Lynch elected to pass a sentence “not to punish, but to help”.

Mrs Holman, of Walton Road, Walton, was sentenced to a 12-month community order, with a single condition she complete a 12-session mental health treatment requirement.

The court heard she had shown “clear remorse” and had been diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder.

Judge Lynch said: “The reason I’m passing this sentence is because this is now a very old matter, three years, and there were clear mitigating features.

“Your partner tried to fall on his sword, but you’ve been completely honest about your part in it.

“I’ve read the limited papers that I have and I can see that was a difficult time for you coping and it would be a difficult time for anyone in those circumstances.

“You should be proud of yourself you’ve got through it.

“You should be persuaded that in fact by getting through it you are a strong woman and the reason I’m passing this sentence is this will help you become an even stronger woman and remain a strong woman.

“Because one day we’ll rule the world, trust me.

“What you need is you need to find the confidence in yourself and the courage within yourself to be that strong woman.”

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