A “GARDENER” was found tending to cannabis plants inside a Southend home by police attending reports of a burglary.
Alfred Putro, an Albanian national, was found by police inside the property in Selbourne Drive alongside hundreds of cannabis plants.
Police descended on the home after reports of a burglary by neighbours.
The 38-year-old was employed as a gardener to water and maintain the 339 cannabis plants.
During his arrest, police realised when the burglars had sprayed his face with a noxious liquid.
At Basildon Crown Court on Wednesday, Recorder Paul Sharkey said: “On the evening of November 8, 2020, police were called to a property due to a suspected burglary.