North Antrim farmer Alan Chestnutt admits additional charges of dumping waste

​At Antrim Crown Court Alan Chestnutt was rearraigned on two of the three charges against him with the 52-year-old entering guilty pleas to two offences of depositing and keeping controlled waste on dates between June 10 2021 and May 22 2022.

None of the facts giving rise to the charges were opened in court and adjourning for a pre-sentence report (PSR), Judge Alistair Devlin said he would deal with the case on November 27.

It is not the first time that Chestnutt, from the Haw Road in Bushmills, has stood in a Crown Court dock facing waste management offences.

Around this time a year ago he entered guilty pleas to three of 14 charges against him in that on dates between January 1 2017 and January 29 2019, he dumped 18,000 tonnes of controlled waste on land on the Cabragh Road in Bushmills.

In that case Chestnutt admitted depositing controlled waste without a waste management licence, that he “treated, kept or knowingly caused or permitted controlled waste to be treated or kept in or on land” and lastly that he “kept controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health”.

It is due to be dealt with in January next year once the court has received a report from an expert environmentalist as to whether any pollution was caused and what would be likely impact of it.

In court today defence counsel Alan Stewart told the judge those earlier offences “are materially more complicated” than the latest offending.

Judge Devlin inquired whether Chestnutt would face confiscation proceedings and prosecution counsel Catherine Chasemore confirmed “yes, potentially”.

Adjourning the case to November 27 Judge Devlin said it was his view that “a PSR would assist so I will direct a report”.

He told Chestnutt it would be “very much in your interest to co-operate” with probation when they contact him.