By staff reporter

Last updated 20:07, Friday, 05 September 2008

A plumber who lost his job and then his girlfriend was jailed for three years after he admitted setting up his own cannabis factory and attacking his ex-partner’s new lover.

Andrew Hewitt: Police also found a cannabis factory at his home

Andrew Hewitt, 30, snapped after discovering that his ex-girlfriend was seeing a man he regularly drank with.

He sought out victim Gary Crone before twice attacking him with a baseball bat and biting his finger.

It was only after police arrested Hewitt, of Little Bampton, west of Carlisle, that they found he was growing 45 cannabis plants.

At the city’s crown court yesterday, Hewitt admitted wounding, cultivating cannabis and possessing the drug with intent to supply it.

Ken Hay, prosecuting, described the assault as a crime of passion.

He said: “The victim was the new boyfriend of the defendant’s former partner.

“Mr Hewitt had been in a relationship with Danielle Blair for four years but that relationship broke down in March.”

At first the defendant appeared to accept the break-up but later sent text messages to Miss Blair saying that if he saw her and Mr Crone together he would hurt them.

At 10pm on April 11 Mr Crone was drinking in the Tam O’ Shanter pub in Little Bampton where the defendant and his victim, who was a friend, had previously drank together.

Hewitt arrived and asked somebody to get Mr Crone to come outside for a chat.

When Mr Crone appeared Hewitt attacked him with the baseball bat, landing four or five blows to his head.

Bystanders pulled the victim away and Hewitt got into his car. Mr Crone then approached the car, putting his hand through a window and Hewitt bit his finger.

The defendant again got out and wielded the baseball bat, striking more blows.

When police searched Hewitt’s house they found a bedroom had been turned into a cannabis factory.

The street value of the plants he was growing was £3,378, said Mr Hay, adding that the prosecution admitted he was growing the drug to sell to and share with his friends.

Andrew Ford, defending, said his client had been devastated by the loss of both his job and his partner within a short space of time.

“He lost control for a while,” said Mr Ford.

The view locally was that Mr Crone, who refused to co-operate with police, had got what he deserved, said Mr Ford.

Mr Ford added: “He [Hewitt] regrets this and he regrets the level of injury he caused.”

Judge Phillips accepted that Hewitt was very upset but that did not excuse what had been a prolonged assault.

He jailed him for two years for the wounding and an extra year for the two cannabis offences.