Illegal Waste Site Operator Ordered to Pay £179,000 Confiscation Order Under Proceeds of Crime Act

In September, Waste site operator Barry Connally was ordered to pay £179,000 which he had allegedly gained through proceeds of crime when he was the sole director of an illegal waste operation. This provides a stark warning to waste site operators of the potential consequences beyond a criminal conviction of committing similar offences.

Connally operated the waste site without the required environmental permit between March 2013 and December 2015. In June 2019 he was sentenced to 12 months’ custody suspended for 18 months and ordered to perform 160 hours’ unpaid work.

The sentencing judge discovered Connally had prioritised profit and maintained an ‘arrogant approach to the regulatory regime’. Following this conviction, the Environment Agency brought confiscation proceedings to retrieve the proceeds of crime.

In the making of the Confiscation order Worcester Crown Court heard how Connally used Rhino Recycling Limited to conceal his identity as the true actor involved with the illegal waste site. Between March 2013 and December 2015, Connally allegedly obtained over £1,000,000 in criminal benefit from the illegal activities, he was ordered to pay £179,373.36, reflecting the total of his available assets.

Connally also pleaded guilty to contempt of court in relation to the disposition of some of his assets between September 2019 and July 2020 which went against the terms of a court order he had received. For this offence he was sentenced to 4 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.