Grenfell survivor sentenced after drugs factory found in flat

A Grenfell Tower fire survivor has been given a suspended prison sentence after the remains of a cannabis oil factory were found in his burnt-out flat.

Officers combing the shell of the tower block found a store of cannabis cuttings and flammable butane gas canisters in Eamon Zada's home.

The 35-year-old had produced enough cannabis oil to last one user 140 days, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.

Zada previously pleaded guilty to producing a controlled Class B drug.

He was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence and ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid community work.

Zada was also ordered to undergo 40 days of rehabilitation and pay a £115 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

Prosecutor Katie Bryan said the case came to light after Zada told police that 4,500 euros (£4,022) had been stolen in a burglary and his two-bedroom flat was searched by police.

Officers then found £1,000 in £50 notes hidden in the bedroom ceiling and cannabis was found in the second room and in the kitchen freezer.

Equipment to create cannabis oil including an oven was also seized by police, the prosecutor said.

The court heard Zada was also previously sentenced to five years in prison in 2009 for conspiracy to defraud.

In a statement Zada, who is currently housed in a Marylebone hotel, told police the found items were for his personal use.

His lawyer Robert Berg said his client had a "fragile history of mental health in recent years" but had "made a very positive contribution" to working with Grenfell survivors since the disaster which killed in 71 people in June last year.

In sentencing, deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram said: "What has happened since [the Grenfell fire] does not make this offence any less serious but it does tell me about who you are today and where you are today."