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American Sebastian Wojcik claimed the 47 plants at his property was for personal use during a hearing at Leeds Crown Court.

He was not charged with supplying the drug, but felt the wrath of Recorder Daffyd Enoch QC who said: "Come off it, 47 plants? I do not accept that. What other sensible view can I take?

"His explanations are just nonsense and they are not helping him."

The 47 plants were found at a property in Lincoln Street.

Prosecuting, Caroline Abrahams said that police officers had been called to an address on Bottom Boat Road in Stanley on the evening of March 27 following reports of an illegal party during lockdown.

While there, they spotted a white Mercedes drop two people off so they stopped the car and suspected the driver, 32-year-old Wojcik, was on drugs.

They searched the car and found a small bag of cocaine and two MDMA tablets. He was arrested.

The next day they went to his home on Lincoln Street in Wakefield and found the plants across two rooms, along with a sophisticated set-up for growing the drug, including fans, lighting and an irrigation system.

He told the police that the drugs found in the car was for personal use, and the cannabis was solely for him.

He admitted two counts of possession of Class A drugs, and producing 47 cannabis plants.

Charlotte Noddings, mitigating for Wojcik, said that he grew up in America, moved to Britain five years ago and had two young children.

She said of the 17 plants found had been of medium size, with the remainder just saplings.

After the judge questioned if they were personal use, Miss Noddings pointed out that no evidence of dealing was found, including mobile phone activity or dealer bags.

She said: "He was ignorant to the law but that's not an excuse, it was a mistake on his part. He is sorry."

But this again angered judge who interrupted and said: "Either he knew it was illegal to grow cannabis or did not. I do not accept his remorse."

Ordering him to stand, Recorder Enoch QC then said: "I do not believe for a second that you did not know what you were doing was illegal.

"It does you no credit to try and pull the wool over my eyes.

"I do not know what the norm is in the US, but I doubt very much it's far from here."

He sentenced him to eight months' jail, suspended for 24 months, and gave him 120 hours of unpaid work.

He also gave him a six-month electronically-tagged curfew.

'Come off it, 47 plants?': Judge blasts cannabis grower's personal use claim