A Meath father and son who set up a cannabis growhouse in an industrial unit have been sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Stephen Mulvaney (39) later took full responsibility for the 94 plants that were growing there and told gardaí that his father had nothing to do with it. He was jailed for four years.

His father Paul Mulvaney (62) admitted that he had been at the lock up two or three times previously but said he didn’t want to know anything about what was going on. He received a three year suspended sentence.

He accepted he may have “unknowingly assisted” his son and that he had been informed it was cannabis Stephen was growing but claimed he had never been in contact with the drugs.

The court heard that a stolen Hyundai Santa Fe jeep was also discovered in the unit together with a stolen Volkswagen Jetta and various parts from other dismantled vehicles.

Stephen admitted that he knew the jeep was stolen and said that was why he had hidden it in the lock-up.

He told gardaí he was in debt of €22,000 due to both a loan and gambling habit and he got involved in this operation to pay of that debt.

He said he had owed the money for 18 months and took responsibility for the stolen vehicles and car parts that were also discovered in the unit.

He claimed he was acting under duress but said he was too afraid to name anyone he was working for.

Stephen of The Dales, Dunshaughlin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the stolen jeep and possession of cannabis for sale or supply at Rosemount Industrial Estate, Blanchardstown on April 24, 2013. He has 15 previous convictions for assault and public order offences.

Paul, of the same address, pleaded guilty to cultivation of cannabis. He has no previous convictions and has not come to garda attention before or since his arrest.

Judge Martin Nolan said Stephen was the caretaker of this growing operation before he sentenced him to four years in prison.

He accepted that Paul was on the periphery and that he had a made “a grievous mistake” in complying with his son’s request.

Judge Nolan said he was satisfied that Paul was a man of ill health, that it was a once off event for him and that “he did what he did for the best motives”.

He said it would be “injustice to impose a prison sentence on him” before he suspended a three year jail term in full.

Detective Garda John Griffin told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting that a total of 94 plants were discovered in various stages of maturity.

He confirmed that the potential market value was €800 per mature harvested plant with a total value of €75,200.

Det Gda Griffin agreed with Padraig Dwyer SC, defending Stephen, that he was not in a position “to confirm or deny” his client’s claim that he was acting under duress but agreed that he was co-operative with the investigation.

He confirmed that Stephen accepted responsibility for stripping down the cars and said he had done this to pay off a debt.

The detective agreed with Giollaíosa O Lideadha SC, defending Paul that his admissions assisted gardaí and that he was involved in the operation to help his son rather than for his own personal gain.

He accepted that Paul was a good candidate not to come to garda attention in the future.

Det Gda Griffin said he was on patrol in the area when he spotted the jeep and became suspicious of it. He confirmed with colleagues that had it had been stolen from the Clondalkin area two days previously.

He then noticed a white transit van pull up into a parking spot before the driver got into the jeep and reversed it into the unit.

The father and son were then spotted leaving the unit together in the transit and Det Gda Griffin followed them.

The driver pulled over when ultimately ordered to do so and both men co-operated. Stephen handed over the key to the unit where the cultivation system was later discovered.

In addition to the jeep, gardaí discovered a Volkswagen Jetta and parts relating to a dismantled Toyota Avensis and Audi A4.