Teacher who grew drug fighting to save career

THIS tree looks like it could be from a horror film.

Sarah Jones, 51, was walking along St Dogmael’s Avenue in Llanishen, Cardiff, when she saw the strange webs on trees in the road and lots of tiny caterpillars.

“There were about five or six of them in the same road,” she said.

“I noticed them before when I was walking my dog around that area,” she said.

“It was so weird it was getting dark at the time and was like the fake webs you get in the set of a horror movie.

“The trees were covered from top to bottom.”

According to Butterfly Conservation, the caterpillars come from ermine moths and start appearing now.

Writing on the group’s website, Mark Parsons said: “At this time of year we often receive reports of ghostly silken webbing covering sections of hedgerows and, on occasions, individual trees. Although it can look rather sinister, don’t be alarmed. The most likely culprit is a harmless caterpillar.

“These striking and obvious webs hide hundreds and sometimes tens of thousands of caterpillars of a group of moths called the small ermine moths.

“There are eight species in this group, although only the orchard ermine, spindle ermine and birdcherry ermine tend to produce such extensive webbing.” A TEACHER who grew cannabis plants at home is fighting to save his career.

Christian Powell, 38, was handed a suspended prison sentence at Cardiff Crown Court for producing a controlled drug.

He is facing the threat of being struck off at a fitness to practise hearing of the Education Workforce Council in Cardiff.

A disciplinary hearing was told Mr Powell did not intend to grow the cannabis for sale but to smoke it himself.

Mr Powell was a supply teacher at Pontllanfraith Comprehensive School in Caerphilly County, which is now closed and merged with the new Islwyn High School.

The hearing was told Mr Powell was sentenced to eight months in jail suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 120 hours of community work when he appeared at Crown Court.

The Education Workforce Council was told by case presenter Cadi Dewi that Mr Powell was convicted on the basis that there was an element of an intention to sell.

The teacher was represented by his father David who told the hearing: “He did not intend to sell the cannabis and did not produce the cannabis. “He was arrested for cultivation.” Mr Powell did not attend the hearing but waited in a nearby side room while his father represented him.

His father said: “Christian does not want to participate in a hearing which is damaging to the reputation of the school.”

Powell admitted the conviction under the Misuse of Drugs Act but denied producing the cannabis.

The hearing continues.