A JUDGE has expressed “amazement” at claims by a Letterkenny man that a rival waste collection firm paid him €5,000 to use his boss Jim Ferry’s lorry to illegally dump rubbish.
Marty McDermott (30) told Letterkenny District Court that he stole a lorry from Ferrys Refuse depot at Manorcunningham, where he worked, on three separate occasions in 2010 and dumped it in a field Ferry owns in front of his mother’s home near Falcarragh.
He claimed all this was done without Ferry’s knowledge.
McDermott made the claims today (Wednesday) at the court where Ferry of Rossbracken, Manorcunningham, was facing eight charges relating to the illegal disposal of household waste at Derryreel, Falcarragh, on June 10, 2010.
He also said that a rival waste collector paid him to set up Ferry so that he could gain “leverage” in the Gweedore area.
After the witness gave evidence, the prosecution barrister, Richard Lyons, told Judge Kelly that McDermott’s claims were “incredible” and should be dismissed.
Judge Kelly said McDermott’s evidence was “vague and unconvincing” and said he found it hard to believe that Ferry was unaware of what was going on.
“I find it incredible that one lorry could be taken on three separate occasions and returned to the same yard empty without any inquiry being made. There was an extraordinary lack of inquiry by Jim Ferry and Mr McDermott said Mr Ferry never mentioned anything about this to him.”
On Tuesday, the second day of the hearing, the court heard about a bizarre development in which McDermott approached Ferry’s solicitor with a hand written letter claiming it was he who was responsible for the dumping.
The case is expected to conclude later today.
For full coverage, see this Friday’s print edition of the Donegal News.
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