Archived press release

Green group welcomes jail term for waste criminal

15 March 2007

Friends of the Earth has welcomed the prison sentence imposed this afternoon on a man convicted of illegal dumping.  Lisa Fagan, Campaigner with the green pressure group was speaking after Malachy Higgins was sentenced to a 4-month prison term at Antrim Crown Court.  Higgins was convicted of illegally depositing waste at Craigmore Road, Ringsend, near Garvagh in Co. Londonderry. 

"We are pleased that Mr Higgins will serve a prison sentence but the serious nature of his crime warranted a longer term.  I have been to this site and witnessed at first hand its impact on the environment and local people.  It is estimated that Mr Higgins allowed 100,000 tonnes of waste to be deposited at this site, including hospital and abattoir waste.  Local people had to endure appalling odours and swarms of flies during the summer months as this material festered beside them.  The site is unlined so the toxic run-off was allowed to pollute streams nearby."

Ms Fagan congratulated the Government department which brought the case: 

"DOE Environment and Heritage Service who brought this case are taking more waste cases to the Crown court where unlimited fines and custodial sentences can be imposed.  Today's sentence sends out an important signal to the illegal waste industry that breaches of environmental law will not be tolerated."

She said that today's conviction was not the end of the matter:

"This prison sentence does nothing to change the situation on the ground: Mr Higgins and others like him must be forced to remove illegally dumped material where it poses an on-going threat to human health and the environment.  And we await with interest the outcome of confiscation proceedings by the Assets Recovery Agency aimed at seizing Mr Higgins' ill-gotten gains."

Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland
7 Donegall Street Place
BELFAST
BT1 2FN
Tel: 028 9023 3488
Fax: 028 9024 7556
Email: foe-ni@foe.co.uk.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust