A man who was caught illegally fly-tipping household has been jailed for six weeks.
Graham Swinbourne, 39, convinced a homeowner he would dispose of their rubbish lawfully before driving a short distance to a country lane near Gravesend in Kent. He was caught by a hidden council camera as he emptied the contents of his van in a country lane.
The hidden camera was deployed by Gravesham council, who say he failed to cooperate with an investigation. The surveillance footage retrieved showed him dumping the haul in broad daylight on Northfleet Green Road, which is a notorious a fly-tipping hotspot.
On March 28th Graham Swinbourne, of New Ash Green, appeared at Sevenoaks Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to several offences relating to the incident.
He was sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment and also ordered to pay £156 compensation and £250 in costs. In fact, the fine appears to be quite lenient considering the cost of clearing up the dumped waste and time spent trying to catch him on camera.
Most of our residents are law abiding and want action taken against those who act in this criminal way
Councillor Shane Mochrie-Cox, Gravesham council’s cabinet member for community and leisure, said ‘We do not tolerate fly-tipping in Gravesham and we use all powers at our disposal to identify and prosecute offenders. As part of our investment in environmental enforcement we have bought and installed hidden cameras at various locations around the borough with the clear goal of bringing offenders to justice, and in this instance the evidence they provided was irrefutable.’
Cllr Mochrie-Cox added ‘I am grateful to the court for jailing Swinbourne, who is clearly an individual with no respect for others. The sentence should send a stark warning to anyone considering dumping waste here in Gravesham: We will find you and we will take action.’
The rather unpleasant man has been jailed a year after he admitted spitting at a parking warden before telling him he had COVID. Swinbourne was handed a 12-month community order and placed under a three-month curfew in February 2021, after admitting common assault on a Gravesham Borough Council civil enforcement officer.
