The “unrepentant” leader of a gang of organised criminals has today (June 24) been hit with the longest-ever jail term for waste offences, the Environment Agency has announced.

The “unrepentant” leader of a gang of organised criminals has today (June 24) been hit with the longest-ever jail term for waste offences, the Environment Agency has announced.

Hugh O’Donnell, 64, along with two accomplices was arrested by environmental crime officers and police following a three-year investigation into operations at his illegally-operated landfill site at Aldermaston near Reading.


The offences related to the operation of a large-scale illegal waste landfill site at Aldermaston near Reading
The landfill was ranked as one of the highest risk and highest priority illegal waste sites in South East England.

Sentenced in Isleworth Crown Court, Mr O’Donnell was given a four-year jail term for money-laundering and 22 months for waste offences, which are set to be served concurrently. Mr O’Donnell previously served six months in jail for waste offences and non-payment of fines.

The so-called “crime boss” had been released from prison yesterday (June 23) after serving four-and-a-half years for possession of an illegal firearm.

Mr O’Donnell’s accomplices, Robert Evans and Peter Lavelle, were also sentenced, with Mr Evans set to serve a total of two years in prison for money-laundering and Mr Lavelle to serve 18 months for the same offence. Both were also given 14 and 12 month sentences, respectively, for waste offences, which will be served concurrently.

Offences

The offences related to the operation of the Aldermaston landfill site, which was raided by the Environment Agency and Thames Valley Police in October 2008. The raid uncovered unlicensed handgun and ammunition, other weapons, stolen vehicles, plant equipment and over £5,000 in cash.

Speaking in court, Judge Edmunds QC said: “This was deliberate, calculated offending on an industrial scale…for profit. You carried on in the teeth of attempts to stop you, and with the clear intention of making as much criminal profit as you could before you were stopped.”

Judge Edmunds added that the trio had been “dismissive and obstructive” with regards to their interaction with the enforcement authorities.

Activity had stopped at the Aldermaston site in late 2008 following Mr O’Donnell’s arrest for possession of an illegal handgun. However, Mr Lavelle and Mr Evans were said to have been used by Mr O’Donnell to take over the day-to-day running of the site and operation of “phoney businesses”.

Agency

Angus Innes, principal solicitor for the Environment Agency, said: “O’Donnell’s illegal waste business netted millions of pounds in profit by taking skips or lorry loads of construction and demolition waste into the Aldermaston site to be dumped in an illegal landfill.

“This sentence sends out a message that waste crime is a serious offence and you can and will be sent to jail.”

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Environment Agency

Mr Innes added that the three-year investigation had been one of the “biggest and most complex” ever undertaken by the Environment Agency.

It involved the use of forensic techniques such as DNA, handwriting analysis, smartwater tracking, fingerprinting and mobile phone and laptop interrogation.

The Environment Agency said it would now be seeking a Proceeds of Crime application in order to confiscate assets from the gang. A restraint order has been in place for the past two years to prevent the disposal of £1 million of assets.