Mark Ayres, 71, and his wife Marion Ayres, 70, were sentenced at Norwich Crown Court for producing cannabis at their home in Burgh Common, near Attleborough in Norfolk.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] Norfolk Constabulary and Press Association copies name the court as Norfolk Crown Court and date the sentencing to Thursday 5 November 2026.[6][38][39][28][31][40][41][42][43] Marion Ayres was given nine months in prison, suspended for 12 months; Mark Ayres was jailed for three and a half years.[1][2][3][44][4][45][46][47][5][48][49][50][51][52][53][6][7][54][8][9][55][10][11][56][12][38][39][13][14][57][15][58][59][60][16][17][18][61][20][21][22][23][62][24][63][25][27][28][29][64][65][30][31][41][32][66][33][42][67][68][34][35][36][37] Mark Ayres had pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and to possessing cannabis with intent to supply, and Marion Ayres admitted producing cannabis.[1][2][3][44][4][45][46][47][5][48][49][50][51][52][53][6][54][8][55][11][56][12][38][39][13][15][69][58][59][60][16][17][18][61][20][23][62][24][25][26][28][29][64][65][31][32][66][33][42][34][70][37]

Both were arrested after Norfolk Constabulary officers executed a warrant at the couple’s home on 20 May 2025, as part of an investigation into cannabis supply in the area.[71][44][4][45][46][47][5][48][50][51][52][53][6][54][8][9][55][10][11][56][12][38][39][13][57][15][58][59][16][17][18][19][61][20][21][22][23][62][24][63][25][27][28][64][65][30][31][40][41][32][66][33][42][67][43][72][34][70][36][37] Officers found 25 cannabis plants and approximately 5.7 kg of dried cannabis, which police estimated had a street value of more than £46,000.[1][2][3][44][4][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][6][54][8][9][10][11][56][12][38][39][13][14][57][15][58][59][16][17][18][19][61][20][21][22][23][62][24][63][25][27][28][29][64][65][30][31][41][32][66][33][42][43][34][35][36][37] Police photographs show more than a dozen plants crammed into a tiled room and cannabis drying in layered racks under a white light.[25] The house was described as worth about £1m.[24]

At an earlier hearing at Norwich Magistrates’ Court, Mark Ayres had pleaded guilty to possessing 5.7 kg of cannabis with intent to supply and to producing 28 cannabis plants on that date.[73] Marion Ayres denied both charges at that stage and was sent to Norwich Crown Court for a trial preparation hearing.[73]

In court

Mark Ayres was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and researched the medicinal benefits of cannabis, his barrister Andrew Oliver said.[2][7][28] He first used CBD oil, legal in the UK, and turned to cannabis when the cancer returned five years later, growing it in a former gym at his home.[2][26][28][43] He started with eight plants in 2023 and had 25 when he was arrested[2][7][28], and then began selling to others.[28][43] Marion Ayres once bought bags for the drugs online.[2][7][28] Mark Ayres is listed as a director of several companies.[28]

Recorder John Hardy said the couple had led “blameless lives” and should have been looking forward to their retirement, but that the operation “hid behind a veneer of respectability”.[28]

Sergeant Dan Shelley of Norfolk Constabulary said drug production and supply could have a “hugely damaging impact” on communities and urged residents to report concerns about drugs to police.[1][53][6][54][8][55][10][11][12][13][57][60][16][17][19][62][24][26][28][30][31][41][32][33][42][37]