A 46-year-old man who claimed he grew cannabis at home to cure his back ache was jailed for 12 years and fined e25,000 after a panel of jurors took only two hours and 15 minutes to find him guilty.

Anthony Seychell, from Zejtun, was charged with cultivating and being in possession of 110 cannabis plants. During his testimony on Monday, Seychell admitted he used to cultivate cannabis and his lawyer, Tonio Azzopardi informed the court that he was not going to contest the charge and asked the jury to ask for clemency.

They jury yesterday returned a unanimous guilty verdict on the cultivating charge and found Seychell guilty by seven votes to two of possessing cannabis in circumstances clearly denoting it was not for his own use.

In his submissions on penalty, Dr Azzopardi told presiding judge Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono that his assisted had fully cooperated with the police and had suffered during his life both because of his acute back pains and because of his family background. His early admission facilitated the jury’s decision.

He also asked the judge to penalise his client in relation to convictions with similar charges.

Dr Azzopardi summoned the Sedqa representative at court to read the agency report regarding Seychell. It was found out that Seychell was found positive to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) the main psychoactive substance found in the cannabis plant in a routine urine test almost a year after he was arrested.

Prosecutor Nadine Sant produced Seychell’s criminal record which showed that he had a cannabis possession conviction in 1983. She held that the man was given a chance to reform yet he did not take advantage to it and to add insult to injury he started cultivating the plant.

Dr Sant said Seychell did not register an early admission because he did so only when he testified during the jury. He had had the chance to do so earlier.

Dr Sant said the court should take into consideration the people who might have used Seychell’s plants.