A CANNABIS farm was discovered after reports of men trying to break into a Barton flat.

Oxford Magistrates’ Court heard that police received a number of emergency calls at around 3.30am on Tuesday, July 19, saying men were trying to get into a property near the shops in Underhill Circus.

Officers attended but could find no one in the area.

However, when they went back to the property they noticed a large ‘industrial fan’ through the window and ‘substantial heat’ coming from the flat.

Inside, there were an estimated 270 cannabis plants inside the flat.

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Appearing before Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, Hoang Pham, 18, of no fixed address, entered no plea to a single charge of producing cannabis.

Through a Vietnamese interpreter, Pham spoke only to confirm his personal details.

District Judge Kamlesh Rana remanded the defendant in custody to appear before Oxford Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on August 19.

The judge said the case was too serious for her to deal with the matter at the magistrates’ court.

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Commercial-scale production of cannabis carries a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment, although punishments vary widely depending on the amount of drugs being grown and the culpability of the farmer.