At his castle residence in Kent, where King Henry VIII once engaged in jousting and hunting, a billionaire businessman has admitted to cultivating magic mushrooms.
At Maidstone Crown Court in Kent, Simon Giles, 44, entered a plea of guilty to producing psilocin and psilocybin, widely known as magic mushrooms, between September 1, 2020, and May 6, 2021.
During an unrelated visit to his house in the south wing of the Grade II-listed Lullingstone Castle in the community of Eynsford near Sevenoaks, police found the class A narcotic.
He was then accused of creating “brown fungus stuff” by the post office.
At Friday’s guilty hearing, prosecutor Bridget Todd stated that in addition to the drug, which the judge described as “a rather tiny amount of organic material,” police had also uncovered fertiliser, a growing space, and seal bags.
She claimed that in order to evaluate the quality of the psychoactive substance and establish whether it was appropriate for personal use, an expert assessment was required prior to sentencing.
Giles’ attorney, Alexander Upton, informed Recorder Edmund Burge QC that once they had read the prosecution study’s findings, a defense expert’s opinion might also be required.
These are magic mushrooms, he declared. In the morning, a little pinprick of a mushroom might weigh zero grams, but if it reappears in the afternoon, it might weigh four or five grams. Unlike mushrooms, which grow rapidly, other substances don’t.
Giles was reportedly facing eviction from his then £1.4 million property at Lullingstone Castle in January of last year. His occupation is listed with Companies House as an investment manager.
The Hart-Dyke family owns the majority of the 15th-century estate, where the Tudor king was rumored to have visited Queen Anne and engaged in jousting and hunting on the estate grounds.
It was also the location of the Silk Farm, which in the 1930s produced silk for Queen Elizabeth II’s bridal gown and coronation robes.
At the same court hearing, Giles, who is currently residing in Rectory Place, Hawkwood Lane, Chislehurst, Kent, admitted to having a stun gun that was disguised as a cell phone.
Given Giles’s age and prior good character, Recorder Burge QC suggested that a probation report may be required to aid in sentencing; however, no date was set for that hearing.
He stated that the expert report for the prosecution would evaluate “the potency of the psychoactive chemical inside the biological material.”
They must decide “whether it is consistent with personal usage or not,” Miss Todd continued.
The prosecution will “inform the court on its position and what the next steps are for the defense” at a mention hearing scheduled on July 26.
Giles was granted unconditional bail, but the judge advised him to stay in touch with his attorney.