A MAN has been prosecuted after dumping waste at an Oxfordshire nature reserve.

South Oxfordshire District Council has successfully prosecuted, Oxford man Jed Denton, 27 for fly-tipping at the RSPB reserve at Otmoor Lane, Beckley. 

On July 8, 2019, the council received a report from the RSPB regarding a large amount of waste deposited in the car park of their reserve over the previous weekend. 

Personal items addressed to Jed Denton as well as other items addressed to several companies for which Mr Denton had been a director were found in the dumped waste by an Environmental Enforcement Officer.

Despite numerous requests, Mr Denton failed to provide the council with any information as to how his waste came to be in the flytip. 

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He was due to appear at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday December 11 to face four charges under the Environmental Protection Act.

However, as he failed to appear at court, the case was heard in his absence. Previously, he had pleaded not guilty to the duty of care offences. 

Mr Denton was found guilty of all four charges.

In sentencing Magistrates said he had not acted responsibly and had not participated in the investigation.  

The magistrates also felt that Mr Denton had chosen the dumping location carefully and stated that it was out of the way and a piece of land used for a specific purpose and if Mr Denton had exercised his duty of care then this incident would not have happened.  

A fine of £700 was imposed for each of the first three offences and no penalty was imposed for the fourth charge which was in respect of the waste transfer note.  

Mr Denton was ordered to pay £341.57 to RSPB for compensation, prosecution costs of £1,279 and a victim surcharge of £181 – total of £3,901.57. 

Councillor David Rouane, South Oxfordshire District Council cabinet member for housing and environment, said: “We always take cases of fly-tipping extremely seriously. 

“We always investigate such cases and would remind people that if they pay other people to take their waste away and it is fly-tipped, they could be prosecuted.” 

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