A father and son from Middlesbrough have been fined for fly-tipping after a tonne of bricks and rubble were found dumped on a roadside. The disabled pensioner, Brian Mulraney, aged 79, and his 50-year-old son, Garron Mulraney, appeared in court to face charges of illegal waste disposal. The duo was ordered to pay almost £4,000 after admitting to the offence.
During the hearing at Teesside Magistrates’ Court, Brian Mulraney pleaded guilty to two counts of fly-tipping – one at Saltersgill Avenue in Middlesbrough and the other on land near the Maryfield Farm Shop in Thornaby. Meanwhile, Garron Mulraney, who lives on Crescent Road in Middlesbrough, was jointly charged with his father with one of the offences – the Saltersgill Avenue fly-tipping – and he also pleaded guilty.
According to Catherine Cunningham, who was prosecuting on behalf of Middlesbrough Council, Brian Mulraney is the owner of a blue Ford Transit van that was used to dump the waste. Although he was not the driver, he is responsible as the registered owner of the vehicle.
A report of household waste being dumped in Saltersgill Avenue was made on September 5 last year. The items were traced back to an address, and it was found that the owner of the property had died. The new owners paid Brian Mulraney £2,080 to clear the house. During the investigation, Brian Mulraney claimed his son, Gordon Mulraney, must have taken the keys to the vehicle with the waste in it, which was then dumped.
On September 28, around a tonne of bricks and rubble were discovered dumped on a road near the A19, near a farm shop. A witness saw bricks fall from the back of a blue transit pick up, and when they walked a bit further, they found the pile of bricks and rubble. Another witness driving along the A19 saw the truck tip the bricks and took the registration number, which led to the discovery that it was the same van that belonged to Brian Mulraney.
Brian Mulraney was fined £520 for the two incidents of fly-tipping and was ordered to pay a £208 victim surcharge, £220 costs, £120 for clean up, and £2,119 for the cost of his vehicle being kept in storage by the council. Meanwhile, Garron Mulraney was fined £320 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £128, as well as costs of £220 and a £120 clean up charge.
Brian Mulraney’s defense attorney, Matthew Agar, said that although his client was unaware of the fly-tipping, he acknowledges his van was used. He argued that there was no evidence that Brian Mulraney was directly involved or disposed of the waste himself. Meanwhile, Garron Mulraney’s defense attorney, Nick Woodhouse, said his client denied being involved in the actual dumping of the waste but acknowledged accepting some responsibility for giving the keys to a third party.