THE former owner of a Beverley nightclub with a strict anti-drugs policy has been told he faces prison for allowing a large cannabis factory to be established in an out of town barn.
Adrian Parker, 61, founded the infamous Parkers Nightclub and was running a fish farm and angling business when two men approached him asking to rent a barn for £10,000.
Initially Parker said no, but gave in allowing the men to use his premises. He is now being described as a leading figure in cannabis production.
Parker of Model Farm, Atwick Road, Bewholme, appeared at Hull Crown Court on Monday June 3 and pleaded guilty to a single charge of production of cannabis a controlled drug of class B on November 28 last year. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of illegally abstracting electricity. It follows a Humberside Police raid on his premises when police found cannabis plants and a sophisticated system of production, drying and weighing operation.
Police spotted the cannabis factory from the air using a thermal-image camera from the force helicopter. The premises were used for five cash crops. The two men Parker alleged started the cannabis factory have never been caught.
Crown barrister Philip Evans said it was his view Parker played a leading role in the production of cannabis. He said evidence would be heard about a company set up to buy a Lamborghini. He said there was also evidence of a trading standards investigation.
He said: “The basis Mr Parker puts forward for his plea of guilty is disputed. The conclusion the defence draws is that his role is significant. The Crown says his role is that of a leading one. He says he was put up to it by two former clients at a fish farm.”
Defence barrister Joanna Golding said the dispute would be settled at a Newton Hearing where Mr Parker will call five defence witnesses.
Parkers Nightclub on the outskirts of Beverley ran buses from the town centre to attract drinkers after 11pm. Mr Parker shut the business down after changes in the licensing laws meant drinkers stayed in the town centre. It still has a following on internet sites from Beverley citizens reliving their youth.
Judge Mark Bury told Parker: “In due course you will receive credit for your pleas of guilty. How much credit depends on the finding of fact in your case. These are in any event serious charges, which seem to mean that a custodial sentence is inevitable. Be prepared for that.”
He adjourned sentence for the Newton Hearing to take place at Hull Crown Court on June 27.
