A Tyrone farmer who illegally disposed of household and commercial waste on his land has been ordered to pay a £252,252 Compensation Order or face five years in prison. The Order was obtained last month by the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) working in partnership with the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) and the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland.
John Anthony McKenna was previously convicted on two counts of keeping and disposing of illegal waste on his land. The prosecution was prompted by an inspection from the EHS after complaints were received by Dungannon and South Tryone Borough Council in 2004 to the effect that lorry loads of waste were being dumped after dark and buried on Mr McKenna's property. Excavation of eight holes revealed household and commercial waste from the Irish Republic - a practice that has been encouraged due to the rising costs of waste disposal in the Republic.
The ARA's Deputy Director (Operations), Charlie Dickin, said the penalty faced by Mr McKenna, "Sends out a clear message to those involved in any form of serious and organised criminal activity that ARA, together with its partners, will do everything in its powers to put them out of business. We are determined to rid society of those with parasitic lifestyles who are intent on feeding off our community." He added that, "We are working hard to make sure that criminality and gangsterism do not pay."
However, an investigation by the ARA determined that Mr McKenna had benefited from his criminal conduct to the sum of £264,252. Indeed, the EHS has stated that the illegal deposit of waste in Northern Ireland is extremely profitable to those involved because of the costs of legal disposal.
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