Ex Tennent's Girl Caught With Cannabis Farm Avoids Jail

A former Tennent's Lager girl caught with a cannabis factory in her Glasgow flat has narrowly avoided jail.

Karen Thomson was arrested after police initially probed a suspected break-in at her home in the upmarket Dowanhill in May 2013.

Officers instead discovered 52 cannabis plants, scales and thermometers in a bedroom rigged up with high pressure lighting.

The ex-model returned to Glasgow Sheriff Court after she earlier pled guilty to supplying the drug.

Her lawyer told how Thomson (52) had initially turned to cannabis for pain relief following an accident.

Sheriff Daniel Scullion said the crime merited a jail-term, but that he had decided on an alternative to prison.

But, he instead ordered the mum who now works as a landscape gardener to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work with a year.

Sheriff Scullion also hit Thomson with curfew meaning she must stay at home between 7.30pm and 5am for the next 100 days.

It effectively means she will be tagged during that time.

He told a relieved Thomson: This order will be robustly monitored.

The court previously heard how police were sent to Thomson's home in May 2013 after an anonymous tip off that there was a break-in.

A second call then claimed cannabis plants could be seen from an open window.

The luxury basement flat was then searched after a warrant was granted.

The court heard it soon became apparent that a room had been given over to a cannabis cultivation.

Prosecutor Niall MacDonald said: Altogether it amounted to 52 plants in different stages of growth.

These various plants were contained within three growing tents in the room.

He said that there was equipment to optimise growing conditions including high pressure lighting, a ventilation system and growing nutrients.

The court heard scales, thermometers and plastic bags with a cannabis motif on them were also seized.

Fiscal Mr MacDonald said said the plants had a potential value of £12,400.

The prosecutor explained that it was accepted Thomson first supplied the drugs to people she knew.

But, he went on: After some time that developed beyond what would be called social supply to commercial supply to people out with her immediate social circle.

Thomson was one of the legendary Tennent's can girls from 1988 to 1991 with her face and figure regularly gracing billboards across the country.

She eventually gave up modelling to set up a successful landscape gardening company.

Her lawyer said cannabis had originally acted as a pain relief for Thomson following a serious accident.

Bobby McCormack, defending, went on: She is very skilled woman. She knows this has brought shame on her and her family.

She wishes to put this behind her.

Sentencing, Sheriff Scullion also told Thomson that as an intelligent woman she must have known what she was involved in.

Her sons Joshua (19) and Jefferson (22) had also faced the same charge as their mother, but their not guilty pleas were accepted.

All three had denied producing cannabis, which was also accepted by prosecutors.