Pair guilty of running £83k cannabis farm in former Caithness mansion

Two men have been convicted of operating a major cannabis farm at a once-ruined mansion in Caithness.

Philip Nicholson (52) and 35-year old Damon Mackay will be sentenced next month after Sheriff Neil Wilson considers a background report.

Both denied producing the Class B drug at historic Sackville House, at Hastigrow, Bower, and having been concerned in the supply of the drug, between April 6 and May 4, 2021.

A jury of nine women and six men began their deliberations at Wick on Monday and continued these on Tuesday morning, having considered their verdicts for a total of 60 minutes.

DNA samples put Nicholson and Mackay at the centre of the cannabis cultivation enterprise which, had it gone undetected, would have netted them a lucrative return of between £23,000 and £83,000. The crop was at mid-growth when the illegal farm was uncovered.

During the three-day trial the court at Wick heard that police who entered the one-time mansion, armed with a search warrant, were confronted by an array of electrical equipment including fans, timer switches, plugs, seeds, fertiliser and “a green room” with 92 cannabis plants.

Witness Peter Campbell, who had access to the property, identified Nicholson and Mackay as having been involved in the illegal operation, in a police interview, but he denied in court having only named them in order to avoid getting himself in trouble.

Mr Campbell (32) was reluctant to point the finger at the two accused, saying that he and members of his family had been threatened, but he did not give further details.

A special defence incriminating him was lodged by solicitors Atlanta Jack for Nicholson, and Mhyrin Hill for Mackay.

Forensic scientist Fiona Robertson, giving evidence via a video link, confirmed that both accused’s DNA were on items recovered from Sackville House – a timer switch, a cup and a Red Bull can purchased by Mackay, of Huddart Street, Wick, at a Tesco store in Thurso.

Nicholson, whose address was listed on the indictment as Scotscalder but who was living in Gairloch earlier in the case, went into the witness box. He rejected prosecution evidence that he had paid multiple visits to Sackville House and was adamant that he had only been there once, on May 1, 2021, to obtain spare parts from old cars.

The accused suggested that his DNA might have got onto some of the items found in the house when he had had lunch outside the building, on his sole visit to the property or, he alleged, these might have been “planted” inside the property by Mr Campbell.

Commenting on a defence submission that there had been no direct evidence of drug dealing, fiscal depute David Ballek said it was clearly “not an operation in which the accused were producing a couple of plants for their own use”.

The guilty verdicts were returned by the jury by a majority in both charges.

Nicholson and Mackay were granted bail by Sheriff Wilson, who described the charges as “serious”, and will return to court for sentence on April 15, when he will consider background reports and hear mitigation before passing sentence.

Both accused admitted previous records of offending.