Middlesbrough pensioner and his son fined for fly-tipping dead snakes and reptiles on roadside

A disabled pensioner and his son have been fined for fly-tipping after rubble, waste – and even dead snakes and reptiles - were dumped on a roadside.

Brian Mulraney, 79, and his son, Garron Mulraney, 50, appeared at Teesside Magistrates' Court to face charges of dumping waste.

The father and son duo were slapped with a court bill of almost £4,000 after admitting to the offence.

Mulraney senior, of Middlesbrough's Lambton Road, pleaded guilty to two charges of fly-tipping, one at Saltersgill Avenue in Middlesbrough and the other on land near the Maryfield Farm Shop in Thornaby.

Garron Mulraney, of Crescent Road, Middlesbrough, was jointly charged with his father with one of the offences, the Saltersgill Avenue fly-tipping, and he also pleaded guilty.

Catherine Cunningham, prosecuting on behalf of Middlesbrough Council, said Brian Mulraney is the owner of a blue, Ford Transit van which was used in dumping the waste.

She said although he was not the driver, as the registered owner he is responsible.

A report of household waste being dumped in Saltersgill Avenue was made on 5 September last year. The dumped rubbish consisted of snake containers, reptile containers, deadsnakes and reptiles and general household waste alongside receipts and letters.

Items were traced back to an address and it was found the owner of the property had died and new owners had paid Brian Mulraney £2,080 to clear the house.

Ms Cunningham said: "Brian Mulraney has told (the owner) he would arrange the household clearance.

"Mr Brian Mulraney said his son, Gordon Mulraney, must have taken the keys to the vehicle with the waste in it, which has then been dumped."

The prosecutor said Gordon Mulraney admitted that he had taken the keys, but said he had given them to a third party to sort the waste and they must have dumped it.

Ms Cunningham said the third party could not be traced.

On 28 September last year, about a tonne of bricks and rubble were found dumped on a road adjacent to the A19, near a farm shop.

She said a witness saw bricks fall from the back of a blue transit pick up and when they walked a bit further found the dumped pile of bricks and rubble. Another witness driving along the A19 saw the truck tip the bricks and took the registration number, the court heard.

Ms Cunningham said it was the same van that belonged to Brian Mulraney.

Matthew Agar, defending Brian Mulraney, said his client pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and although he was unaware of the fly-tipping, he acknowledges his van was used.

He said: "There is no evidence he was directly involved or disposed of the waste himself."

Mr Agar said his client is an elderly widower and in ill health. He said it caused him "great distress and anxiety to be appearing in court at this stage of his life".

Nick Woodhouse, defending Garron Mulraney, said his client, who is unemployed, pleaded guilty to the Saltersgill Avenue dumping at the first opportunity.

Mr Woodhouse said although his client denies being involved in the actual dumping of the waste, he acknowledges he has to accept some responsibility for giving the keys to the third party.

Brian Mulraney was given a court bill of over £3,000.

He 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.

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.

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