A serial fly-tipper has been handed a suspended prison sentence, been made to pay £2,490 and banned from running a waste company after being found guilty of a string of offences at Plymouth Magistrates Court.
Paul Short, 61, of Albert Road, appeared before the court on Tuesday charged with two counts of fly-tipping and two counts of knowingly causing a fly-tip over a period of two years.
The court heard how between 27 July and 19 October 2017, Short, who operated a business known as Shortys Waste, fly-tipped waste included carpet, rubble, tiles and window frames, at an old yard on Forder Valley Road. A letter containing an address was linked to man who confirmed that he had paid Short to remove the waste.
Then, on 20 December 2018, Short was arrested by police after his van was found inside a previously locked builders yard in Stoke Gabriel along with a pile of fly tipped waste. The waste included doors, shower screens, bathroom parts, lagging, carpets and building rubble. Short was arrested at the scene and provided various explanations about the waste and how it got there but essentially accepted the waste came from his van.
The following spring, in March 2019, cardboard packaging, extractor fan and bag of rubble was found in the rear lane of Lipson Avenue. Again, an address was recovered from the load, which led investigators to Short.
Finally, in October 2019, a fridge freezer was seen being dumped from the back of Short’s van in the back lane behind Waterloo Place when he was disturbed by a resident who challenged his behaviour. The fridge freezer was reloaded onto Short’s van and he drove off.
For his crimes, Short was given a 26 week prison sentenced, suspended for 12 months. He will also subject to a curfew and will be forced to wear an electronic tag for three months.
He was ordered to pay legal costs amounting to £2,000, a further £390 in compensation to the builders who own the yard where he dumped waste and on top of that, he must pay a £100 victim surcharge.
Furthermore, he was subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order that forbids him from running a waste business for a period of five years.
In addition to the above he pleaded guilty to two offences of not keeping paperwork to account for the waste he was collecting and depositing. The paperwork related directly to the fly tips at Forder Valley Road and Lipson Avenue. No separate penalty for these offences.
Councillor Sally Haydon, Cabinet member for Customer Focus and Community Safety, said: "We keep saying it and we keep saying it and we keep saying it. Fly-tipping is not acceptable.
"Please let this be a lesson to anyone who is disrespectful enough to think about fly-tipping in our city.
"The punishment for this crime is severe - this gent was very lucky to escape the court with his freedom. The next person might not be so fortunate."