KNIGHT:TRIO CLEARED OF HELPING RUN UK’S MOST SOPHISTICATED DRUG FACTORY

Three men accused of helping to run Britain’s most sophisticated cannabis factory walked free from court today (thurs).

Paul Knight, 54, his son Robert Knight, 20, and Michael Hope, 48, were cleared of producing the drugs in an underground bunker after the judge ruled they had no case to answer.

Seven charges of possessing prohibited firearms, ammunition and weapons were also dropped against  seven other defendants accused of involvement in the ‘military style’ drugs factory.

It leaves them facing a single charge of producing cannabis.

Judge John Lodge said he had dismissed all seven weapons charges after rejecting the prosecution case that the weapons were ‘an arsenal’ for use by all those who worked there to protect the site.

‘Close examination of the evidence revealed that rather than being necessarily accessible for immediate use, they had in fact been concealed, either in a black bin liner or at the back of the storage container guarded by dogs,’ he said.

He added: ‘The prosecution made the proper concession that they had no direct evidence to link the defendants with the guns or ammunition.’

The judge said he would also direct the jury to find Robert and Paul Knight and Michael Hope not guilty the final charge of producing cannabis.

The jury has heard the complex in Rainham, Essex, had three factories hidden in buried interlinked shipping containers, protected with guard dogs and weapons including an AK47 sub-machine gun.

Site security guard and ‘trusted lieutenant’ Georghe Anton, 49, is one of seven people still facing charges of producing cannabis at the site.

He is standing trial alongside Arben Bajramaj, 44, Lisa Shortall, 29, and Rory McEleavey, 22.

Romanian nationals Ionel Lazar, 22; Bogden Oncioiu, 24; Christian-Mircea Lungu, 39, and Georghe Anton, 49, all of whom were living at the site, also face the same charges.

The jury has heard that Jaguar-driving site owner John Reilly, 46, has already pleaded guilty to all eight charges.

He received hundreds of thousands of pounds into bank accounts, though his business Express Auctions was about to be wound up and was being pursued for debts, the court heard.

Police raided the open landfill site at Arnolds Field, Launders Lane, Rainham on 22 February last year to find the complex cannabis factory site hidden under concealed trapdoors.

Prosecutor Bill McGivern said: ‘This was taking cannabis production to a level of sophistication never before seen in the United Kingdom.’

Office worker Shorthall said she had no idea that cannabis factory was being run from under her feet as she worked at the site.

She broke down in tears as she claimed she had no suspicions about the landfill site or the thousands she was asked to bank for Reilly’s failing company Express Auctions.

‘I never knew about the cannabis, never knew about the guns,’ she said.

‘All I was there was for dealing with the winding up of Express Auctions.

‘Never did he tell me at all about any illegal activities that was going on there, and to be honest with you, if I had I would not have stayed.

‘I have never been in trouble with the police before.

‘Before 22 January I had never seen the inside of a police cell.

‘If I had known what was going on there I would not have carried on working there.’

Shorthall said she had started working for Reilly at a building plant company in mid 2008, but lost her job as the industry was hit by the recession.

In early 2011, she had approached Reilly again to ask if he had any work, who offered her £300 a week for help with the winding up of his company Express Auctions.

It involved preparing paperwork for a solicitor who was dealing with creditors for the company, and was based at Reilly’s landfill site in Arnolds Field, Launders Lane, Rainham.

She said: ‘He was quite a secretive person – I was not really forthcoming with information regarding any of his business activity.

‘You knew what he wanted you to know.’

On her very first day back, she was asked to bank £40,000 for Reilly, who told her to get the bank to phone him if there were any questions, she said.

Initially, she was questioned, but after speaking to a colleague the bank took the deposit from her.

‘After that, I thought if the bank had taken the money, it must be okay,’ she said.

Over the next few weeks, she was to bank some £125,000 for him, despite knowing Express Auctions had a winding up order on it, could not trade, and understanding that its assets were frozen.

Shorthall said she had once commented on the large amounts of cash she was being asked to bank, and said Reilly replied: ‘Where do you think it is coming from – this is a landfill site.’

She added: ‘Everything that was happening on the surface that I could see looked as if it fitted in with a landfill site.’

Albanian Bajramaj, of Myra St, Abbey Wood, denies producing cannabis between 1 July 2010 and 22 February 2011.

The same charge is denied by Shortall, of South Road, South Ockendon, Essex and Irish national McEleavey, of (flat 8) Pine House, Gorse Ave, Chatham, Kent.

Romanians Lazar, Oncioiu, Anton and his son-in-law Lungu, all of whom were apparently living at the site, deny the same charges.

Reilly, 46, of Stepney Green Court, Stepney, who was also arrested at the site, has already pleaded guilty to the same eight charges.

The jury was ordered to return not guilty verdicts on all charges against Hope, of Cricketers Close, Folkestone; Paul Knight, of Gorse Ave, Chatham; and Robert Knight, of Smith St, Rochester.

Seven charges of possessing three prohibited firearms – two self-loading pistols, and a Colt revolver – and an AKM assault rifle, 132 bulleted cartridges, and two shotguns were also dropped against the 10 defendants.

The trial continues.

ends