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A businessman who grew £10,000 worth of magic mushrooms in his £1.4m home in a Kent castle once frequently visited by King Henry VIII has been spared from jail after prosecutors accepted that the drug was for personal use.
Police had gone to see Simon Giles on an unrelated matter when they found the quantity of Class A drugs in his bathroom in the south wing of the Grade II listed Lullingstone Castle in Eynsford, a court heard.
The 44-year-old businessman later told officers that they had a ‘transformative’ effect on his mental health and that he microdosed daily.
An expert opinion heard in court said the amount seized would last him 14 1/2 years of microdosing.
Giles said that having decided to grow his own after buying spores and guides on the internet, he was “shocked” at how quickly they grew and “out of control”.
But despite finding what was described as an ‘industrial’ amount, the prosecution accepted that it was all for personal use and not for further supply, Maidstone Crown Court in Kent was told.
Giles received an eight-month prison term suspended for 18 months.
Businessman Simon Giles, 44, arrives at Maidstone Crown Court for a pre-hearing
The psychedelic substance more formally known as psilocin and psilocybin was found in 10 clear plastic containers during a search of his property on May 5, 2021.
Prosecutor Bridget Todd said other drug paraphernalia in the room included LED lights, a fan, a heater and a thermometer.
Written on each box were a series of fractions and acronyms, including the letters ‘GT’ which is believed to be a reference to a variety of magic mushrooms known as Golden Teacher.
The court was told that the toilets are commonly used by growers of the illegal substance.
Another set of drugs was discovered in Giles’ kitchen, including a dehydrator and sterilizing fluid.
“The goal of a mushroom grower is to create as sterile an environment as possible to increase maximum yield,” added Ms. Todd.
The police also found notebooks in which Giles had noted various pesos.
He was arrested and gave a full account when interviewed, Ms Todd said.
Police had gone to see Simon Giles on an unrelated matter when they found the quantity of Class A drugs in his bathroom in the south wing of the Grade II listed Lullingstone Castle in Eynsford, a court heard (pictured – photo castle stock)
“He said that he had been suffering from poor mental health and depression and that the magic mushrooms had a transformative effect on his well-being,” he told the court.
“He decided to experiment and bought spores and guides from the Internet, and he understood that there were different strains.
“He was amazed at how quickly they started to grow and when he cut them down to harvest, they just kept growing and essentially got out of hand.
He dried them and vacuum packed them. She said that she tried to stop him, putting them in the bathroom and waiting for them to die.
“He said it was for personal use: crushing them up and making capsules and microdosing daily to improve his mental health.”
He said he didn’t know they were a class A drug.
Miss Todd said the potential total street value of the seized drugs was between £4,830 and £9,660.
“The expert concluded that the amount seized would generate enough to cover 14 and a half years of microdosing, but goes on to say that what was found is indicative of personal use,” he added.
“A single culture can quickly generate more than is required, and this is more than is required for microdosing, but there is no evidence of subsequent supply.”
Giles received an eight-month jail term suspended for 18 months and was ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work.
The court heard that police also found a stun gun disguised as an “old” mobile phone in his safe during the same search.
Giles, a father of three with a fourth child due in three weeks, told police he had been taken to a party at his house some eight years earlier.
He said that guests “had passed it around like a toy and saw sparks coming off of it.”
It was then put away and found several years later, when she decided to lock it away in her safe because she didn’t want her children to get hold of it, the prosecutor said.
Giles, whose occupation is listed with Companies House as investment manager, later pleaded guilty to producing a Schedule A drug between Sept. 1, 2020, and May 6, 2021. He also admitted to possessing a prohibited weapon.
In January 2021, he was reportedly facing eviction from his stately home following a High Court battle with HSBC bank.
Dating back to the 15th century, Lullingstone Castle is where the Tudor monarch Henry VIII visited Queen Anne, as well as hunting and jousting on the estate grounds.
The property, most of which is now owned by the Hart-Dyke family, was also home to the 1930s silk farm that produced silk for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation robes and wedding dress.
It was not told in court what business role Giles, who now lives at Rectory Place in Hawkwood Lane, Chislehurst, Kent, currently holds.
His only two previous convictions are for driving under the influence and possession of cannabis and date back to the late 1990s.
But sentencing him today, Judge Julian Smith said it was “unbelievable” how someone with his talent and intelligence made such an “extremely stupid but deliberate” decision.
“It is a serious mistake that I have brought him before the crown court and at risk of a custodial sentence,” the judge told the court.
‘Why should a talented and intelligent man, with a first class honors degree, someone with many options and of his ability, should commit a criminal offense by cultivating a class A drug beggar belief?
‘It’s not stupid, it’s stupid. It’s not just a matter of letting go. He jeopardized everything he held most dear.
I’m sure I’m not telling you anything that dark moments in the middle of the night haven’t brought to the forefront of your mind.
“If he had decided to profit from this, then he would have been a drug dealer, not just a foolish and selfish man, but a criminal of the worst kind.”
Giles, who was supported in court by his pregnant partner, was given an eight-month jail term suspended for 18 months and ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work.
A request for him to pay £1,200 in court costs was reduced to £600 at the rate of £50 a month after defense lawyer Alexander Upton said finances were “lightened up”.
Speaking directly to Giles as he stood in the dock, Justice Smith said: “I need not tell you what a fool you have been, and the risks you have taken in your life as an entrepreneur and contributor to society are nothing.” compared to the foolish choice you made in deciding to do this.
It is a class A drug. Whatever advice your friend gave you about how it would help, it was advice that you should ignore and reject.
‘This was a large quantity of a controlled substance that he managed to produce, but more out of ignorance than commercial motive.
I am giving you this opportunity. I don’t suspect you’ll be back here anymore.
Giles thanked the judge as he left court.
A seizure and destruction order was entered in respect of the magic mushrooms and related paraphernalia.