John Andrew Rabet (53), of Rue de la Val de la Mare du Sud, St Peter, removed the cement-bonded asbestos roof tiles from a property in St Saviour that he was working on, the Magistrate’s Court heard last week.
But instead of disposing of the material in the correct way, Rabet loaded the hazardous waste onto the back of his truck and drove to a field next to his St Peter home before ‘raking’ it off the back and burying it.
Police legal adviser Simon Crowder said the raking had caused the tiles to break up and release asbestos fibres, which have been linked to serious lung disorders including cancer.
Rabet admitted one count of depositing controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution. The offence took place in 2017.
It was heard that Rabet had quoted his customer £400 for proper removal of the asbestos prior to work on the property beginning. Since Rabet’s crime was discovered, he has paid for the asbestos to be disposed of correctly.
Advocate Mark Boothman, defending, said that after the offences took place, Rabet had suffered a skull fracture following an accident at work, which left him with a scar on his forehead, and had been struggling to work.
He added that the serious injury had contributed to the case’s delay in coming to court.
‘Mr Rabet has been extremely co-operative with the investigation and admitted the offence from day one,’ said the lawyer.
Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris noted that ‘this was not a case of fly-tipping’, as Rabet had dumped the asbestos on ‘his own land’.
