An Oxford man returned from a year away to discover a cannabis bunker had been built beneath his garden shed, a court heard.
Akil Budini, 40, pleaded guilty last year to his involvement in the supply of the class B drug, but claimed it was an associate who was using the subterranean room to store the cannabis.
Getting on for half a year later, Budini is still to be sentenced. On Friday (April 28), the case was put off for another time – with Judge Michael Gledhill KC fixing a date for a hearing when he will decide the basis on which the Oxford man should be sentenced.
READ MORE: Bunker builder's sentencing delayed
Defence barrister David Martin-Sperry said the issue for the judge would be whether his client saw the ‘full picture as to what was happening in his garden’.
He said of his client: “He was away for a year while most of the construction underneath his garden was taking place. He then comes back, finds what he finds and is leant upon to keep quiet.”
Mr Martin-Sperry said Budini had a reading age of just five, but had been very good at concealing his difficulties from friends, colleagues and even his own solicitors.
“He’s also very good at concealing his mitigation,” the judge noted. “None of this was mentioned when he pleaded guilty.”
The barrister said Budini had not wanted the ‘outside world’ to know about his problems.
“The outside world includes his solicitors,” he added. “This is not a man who is changing his instructions left, right and centre.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article