Army veteran grew cannabis

AFife Army veteran who was caught with almost £6,000 of cannabis plants at his home has been spared jail.

Declan Walton was found guilty after a trial of being concerned in the supply of the Class B drug.

Walton, 30, of Woodstock Court in Glenrothes, had denied the offence.

A total of 26 plants were found at an address in Montrose Green in the town, along with druggrowing paraphernalia, on October 24 2019.

The Crown placed a street value of £5,750 on the now-confiscated plants.

His defence solicitor said Walton, who was previously convicted for possessing cocaine, had been using cannabis to treat scoliosis and still suffered from back pain.

He said Walton had not used the drug in a month.

Sheriff Craig Harris labelled the find a “medium-sized cultivation” and noted work had been done to the property to accommodate the cultivation.

Walton, who served two tours of Afghanistan, was also sentenced for a rant at police.

On June 27, the former construction worker acted in a threatening manner towards three officers who were sent after receiving multiple calls.

At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, fiscal depute Freya Anderson-Ward said: “On the date in question, police received three calls from concerned persons in relation to the accused.”

Officers attended at Woodstock Court but Walton became hostile.

“Upon approach, he started challenging the officers to a fight,” Ms Anderson-Ward said.

Sheriff Harris placed Walton under supervision for 18 months and handed him 200 hours of unpaid work to complete.

He also banned Walton from leaving his home between 7pm and 7am for 60 days.