A HAULIER whose illegal waste operation saw him hit with the biggest confiscation order ever made by the Environment Agency in the North-East has been handed a three year jail sentence after he paid back just a fraction of the cash.

Tony Leigh Shepherd, 41, from Winston, near Darlington, was ordered last August to pay back £350,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act after it was determined he had made almost £1.2m from the dumping of waste.

The Northern Echo: PAYBACK: Tony Leigh Shepherd

JAIL: Tony Leigh Shepherd, from Winston, near Darlington.

But he only paid £10,000 and continued interest on the sum meant he still owed the courts £347,228.

As a result Shepherd, the son of Darlington businessman Raymond Anthony Shepherd, was jailed for three years by a judge at Teesside Magistrates Court.

He was said to have been “wilful” in his refusal to pay the money. Even after his release from prison he will still have to pay the full amount.

The agreed available amount to the state had been based on assets Shepherd owned, including plant, machinery, and vehicles, including a Range Rover Sport.

The Northern Echo: BITTER DISPUTE: Anthony (left) and Paul Shepherd at another court hearing

CONVICTIONS: Raymond Shepherd (left) and his brother Paul. Picture: DAVID WOOD

Shepherd had originally pleaded guilty to two offences of operating an illegal waste site at West Musgrave Farm, St Helen Auckland, County Durham, between August 2009 and March 2011.

He also pleaded guilty to a third charge of operating an illegal waste site at Barrier Works, on the Hackworth Industrial Estate, Shildon, between December 5, 2010, and July 8, 2011.

He had been running a waste transfer facility on the land – illegally depositing, sorting and storing mixed household and industrial waste.

In February 2014, he appeared at Teesside Crown Court where he was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.

Dave Edwardson, the Environment Agency’s enforcement team leader for the North-East, said: “This is a significant result which sends a clear message to others who flout the law that waste crime just does not pay.

“We took Shepherd to court for his crimes and then sought to hit him in the pocket by recovering the money it was believed he gained through his criminal activity – resulting in the biggest confiscation order for us in the North-East.

“And because he’s failed to pay that back he’s now been sent to prison. But it’s still a debt for life for Shepherd and he must repay the money – and any future assets in the future could also go back to repaying the full amount.

“Waste crime undermines legitimate businesses and can have significant detrimental impacts on communities and the environment.

“This hearing demonstrates how seriously we take waste crime and we’ll continue to take action against those operating outside of the law and the regulations.”

Last September, a Proceeds of Crime hearing involving Raymond Anthony Shepherd, who ran Albert Hill Skip Hire, collapsed at Teesside Crown Court.

Shepherd Snr – who has also previously been jailed for illegal waste offences – and the firm were involved in two criminal trials in 2012 and 2013.

More than £2.1m went through the company’s accounts and the eventual cost of disposing of a mountain of rubbish at the Dodsworth Street site in Darlington previously rented by Albert Hill Skip Hire was put at £600,000.

The Northern Echo is unaware of any rescheduled date for the hearing which was expected to be put on hold while Shepherd sought to challenge his past criminal convictions.

A third Shepherd, Paul – Raymond’s brother – was given a six-month suspended jail sentence in December 2013 for his involvement with Albert Hill Skip Hire.

He also has a conviction for electricity theft from when he lived at the now demolished West Musgrave Farm.