A Letterkenny man has claimed he was paid €5,000 to dump illegal waste on the lands of waste disposal boss Jim Ferry.
Man claims he was paid €5,000 by a competitor of Ferry’s Refuse to dump waste.
Marty McDermott, 30, claims he took Ferry Refuse trucks on three different occasions to dump at Derryreel, Falcarragh in the summer of 2010.
McDermott told Letterkenny District Court that he took the money to pay off debts of up to €500,000 which he built up partially through gambling.
McDermott was giving evidence in the trial of Jim Ferry who is charged with eight different offences of dumping illegal household waste.
This is the third day of the trial.
At the end of the first day before Judge Paul Kelly, a mystery man walked into court and handed in a letter saying he was responsible for the dumping.
That man has turned out to be McDermott who was working as a rubbish lifter at the time for Mr Ferry.
McDermott gave evidence today to say that he was the man behind the dumping.
He claimed he was approached by a man saying he would receive €5,000 if he dumped a load of rubbish at Derryreel.
He said he had been ordered to meet another man at a crossroads in Creeslough but that two men turned up.
Between the three of them they dumped two loads of waste on the land at Derryreel.
Richard Lyons, barrister for Donegal County Council, asked why he had waited until now to come forward.
McDermott said he had been wracked with guilt and went to a priest who told him to go and see a solicitor.
He did this but claimed the solicitor told him to steer clear of giving any evidence in the case.
McDermott said he has never seen his accomplices since.
“I have never seen those men since. I didn’t ask them their names. It’s not what you do. You don’t ask a man’s life story when you were doing what I was doing,” he said.
Barrister Lyons asked McDermott why did he think he was offered such money to do this by the unidentified man.
“He said he wanted leverage in Gaoth Dobhair to keep Jim out of his area. He said he wanted photos to get him out of that country,” said McDermott.
The letter which McDermott left into court was red out by barrister Lyons.
It explained how he had been supported by Ferry since he was a young man and couldn’t believe what he did.
He explained how he went to see the priest and that solicitor Kieran O’Gorman told him to stay well away from the courts.
“I never thought in my wildest dreams it would come to this. The solicitor told me I would have to pack my bags and leave town and the county because I am sol well known.
“If you think this letter helps and saves my friends jobs,” the letter read.
He denied claims put to him by Mr Lyons that Mr Ferry paid him the money.
“He didn’t pay me,” said McDermott.
Mr Lyons asked if it did not concern him that he was dumping a load of waste directly across the road form Mr Ferry’s mother’s home in broad daylight with plenty of noise going on.
“No. I was just thinking of the money,” answered McDermott.
Judge Kelly is now considering legal submissions and the case is then expected to resume.
Judge Kelly then dismissed the claim of McDermott labeling it “vague and unconvincing.”
He said he also found it ‘extraordinary’ that Mr Ferry did not carry out an inquiry into why his trucks went missing from his depot for such long periods of time.
The judge also said he not believe, after viewing video evidence, that McDermott was panicked while carrying out the operation on Mr Ferry’s lad in full view of his mother and sister’s homes.