Mitchell John Sebbens, 37, of The Avenue, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to possessing and cultivating cannabis and contravening bail. He was fined $500.

Lawyer Amanda Chambers said Sebbens had no significant drug prior convictions, despite serving 14 jail terms. 

She said her client was “over being locked up” and had grown cannabis in order to avoid drug dealers. 

Ms Chambers said the hydroponic set-up was “very unsophisticated” and didn’t include a high volume of plants.

On October 8 police attended Sebbens’ property, where a search revealed a zip lock bag containing a small amount of cannabis and a hydroponic set-up located in the en suite bathroom.

Police said the set-up included a black tent with reflective silver aluminum foil and three small plants believed to be cannabis. 

Sebbens denied ownership of the grow tent but later changed his mind and attended a police station, where he made full admissions. He told police it was cheaper to grow the cannabis himself rather than purchase it from a dealer.

Magistrate Jon Klestadt said growing cannabis at home was not only illegal but could attract “boneheads” that found out about the crop and used acts of violence to steal it.

At the time of offending, Sebbens was on bail for breaching a community corrections order.

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