Dungannon man must pay almost £300k after court order granted

A Dungannon man has been given three months to pay a Confiscation Order of almost £300,000 after he was convicted of environmental offences.

A Confiscation Order totalling £295,827.38 was granted at Dungannon court today against Gerard McGorry (58), of Sessiagh Scott Road, Dungannon.

The order granted equates to the criminal benefit generated by McGorry from the illegal keeping and treating of controlled waste at a site located in the vicinity of Sessiagh Scott Road.

In a statement, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said that in 2019 officers from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) commenced an investigation in relation to the discovery of controlled waste on lands owned and controlled by McGorry.

The waste discovered consisted mainly of plastics, metal, rubber, timber and foam.

Following the NIEA investigation, McGorry pleaded guilty in September 2022 to offences contrary to Article 4 of the Waste and Contaminated Land (NI) Order 1997.

The criminal benefit generated from his offending was determined by the court to be £295,827.38.

On December 9, 2022, McGorry was sentenced to eight months custody on all five counts listed in the indictment, but the sentence was suspended for three years.

McGorry has been given three months to pay the Confiscation Order, with a default term set at five years’ imprisonment in the event of non-payment.