Investor grew magic mushrooms worth £10,000 at country castle

A “MICRO-DOSING” businessman grew nearly £10,000 worth of magic mushrooms in his Kent castle to treat his mental health, a court heard.

Simon Giles was found with the class A drug in a bathroom at the Grade II listed Lullingstone Castle, in the village of Eynsford, when police visited over an unrelated matter.

The psychedelic substance, more formally known as psilocin and psilocybin, was found in 10 clear plastic containers during a search on May 5 2021.

Following his arrest, the 44-year-old entrepreneur told officers that using the fungi had a “transformational effect on his well-being” and that he was “microdosing daily to improve his mental health”.

“Micro-dosing” is where a drug user takes only small doses at any one time.

He said that having decided to grow his own after buying spores and guides on the internet, he was “surprised” by how quickly they grew and it got “out of control”. The prosecution accepted that the “industrial” quantity was all for personal use and not onward supply, Maidstone Crown Court was told.

Bridget Todd, prosecuting, said other drug paraphernalia found in the room,

which was on the south wing of Lullingstone Castle, included LED lights, a fan, heater and thermometer, as well as notebooks with various weights and a stun gun which was disguised as an “old-style” mobile phone.

Ms Todd said the potential street value of the drug seized was between £4,830 and £9,660, amounting to 14-and-a-half years’ worth of microdoses, and that Giles said he was not aware they were class A narcotics.

Giles, a father of three whose occupation is listed with Companies House as an investment manager, pleaded guilty to producing a class A drug between Sept 1 2020, and May 6, 2021.

He also admitted possessing a prohibited weapon.

Lullingstone Castle dates back to the 15th century and was where the Tudor monarch Henry VIII would visit Anne Boleyn, as well as hunt and joust in the estate grounds.

Giles now lives in Chislehurst, Kent. Sentencing him yesterday, Judge Julian Smith said: “I’m giving you this chance. I don’t suspect you will ever be back here again.”

He was given an eight-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work.

A £1,200 court costs order was halved after the defence told the court that finances were “stretched”.