James McCooey (77) of Thyholland, County Monaghan, pleaded guilty on 22 February 2024 at Newry Crown Court to keeping controlled waste without a waste management licence. He was sentenced today at Craigavon Crown Court where he was fined £250. Six other similar charges directed against him were not proceeded with and left on the books.
The offence related to the unauthorised keeping of controlled waste at a site owned by Mr McCooey, located in Middletown, County Armagh. The site was visited on various occasions between November 2016 and November 2017 by officers from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) who identified that Mr McCooey was unlawfully keeping, by way of burial, approximately 5800 tonnes of controlled waste including soil, clay, concrete, brick, wood, metal and plastics.
The Department requested that Mr McCooey remove and dispose of the waste lawfully in accordance with legislation, however he failed to do so.
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CLANRYE NEWS 