A would-be taxi driver may fail to get an operating licence after police uncovered his illegal drug activities, York magistrates heard.

Officers called at Paul Brooke's home because they were concerned about the whereabouts of his flatmate, his solicitor Lee-Anne Robins-Hicks said.

Prosecutor Martin Butterworth said they found Brooke in a tent he had set up in his attic to house five fully-grown cannabis plants.

They also found cannabis seedlings and cannabis-growing equipment.

Brooke, 35, of Gillygate, York, pleaded guilty to being concerned in production of cannabis and was ordered to pay a £100 fine, plus a £20 statutory surcharge, £50 prosecution costs and £180 court costs.

He has a similar previous conviction.

Ms Robins-Hicks said of his latest conviction: "This court appearance will have long-lasting consequences."

Brooke had trained as a chef, but was currently unemployed, and had been going through the process of getting a licence to be a taxi driver.

But his conviction was likely to mean he would be unsuccessful, she said.

Mrs Robins-Hicks said: "Over the years, in order to deal with the stresses and strains of his job and participation in a job with anti-social hours, he has used cannabis."

He had decided to grow the cannabis because he didn't want to associate with drug dealers and he would have used all the drug himself, she said.

Mr Butterworth said police assessed that the cannabis plants in total could have produced enough of the drug to fetch £1,250 on the streets, but although they searched the house, they found no evidence of drug dealing.