A teenager found with cannabis worth up to £527 in his bedroom had stolen the drug not for financial gain but to get kudos from friends and acquaintances he supplied, Truro Crown Court heard.

Joseph Roberts, now aged 18, of Silverdale Road, Falmouth admitted possession of the skunk cannabis with intent to supply.

Prosecutor Iain White said that on April 18 last year police officers searched the granite cottage, which was being renovated, and found 114 cannabis plants in various stages of growth. It was a sophisticated system and the crop had a potential yield of more than £60,000 on the streets.

There was a total of 52.72 grams of cannabis in Joseph Roberts' bedroom, some of it in deal quantities, together with digital scales.

Judge Christopher Harvey Clark QC noted that Roberts had no previous convictions and he was highly regarded by people who knew him.

“You were very foolish; naive,” he told Roberts. “You should never been tempted to become involved and no doubt ever since you were arrested you have regretted it.”

Judge Clark imposed a 12-month community order involving a four-month electronically tagged curfew each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening and ordered Roberts to pay £150 towards the prosecution costs.