Other News In Brief

Man Convicted Of Benefit Fraud

A man has been convicted or claiming benefits he was not entitled to at Omagh Magistrates Court.

Michael McMahon claimed Income Support and Carers Allowance totalling £3,454 while failing to declare employment. He was given a conditional discharge for three years.

The fraud was uncovered following an investigation by the Department for Communities.

Mr McMahon has since repaid in full the money wrongfully obtained to the Department.

Alliance Congratulates Disability Activists

Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong has congratulated local disability activists on their presentation of evidence of ongoing human rights violations to the UN Committee on the Rights of Disabled People.

Several groups made the journey to Geneva earlier this week to inform the Committee despite previous commitments to provide a framework for the delivery of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities here, there has been a failure to do so.

The Committee is currently assessing the UK's progress in implementing the Convention, which the UK Government ratified in 2009.

"I fully support this productive trip to highlight how the rights of disabled people here are not being upheld and are often violated," said Ms Armstrong, who is Chair of the Assembly's All-Party Group on Disability.

"There has been a failure of introducing legislation which would give disabled people here the same protections as they receive in the rest of the UK. More needs to be done to ensure disabled people are a full part of the decision-making which impacts them."

Farmer Fined For Pollution Offence

A farmer has been fined for causing pollution to a river in Co Armagh.

Mr Owen Martin pleaded guilty and was fined £500 plus £15 Offenders Levy at Newry Magistrates' Court for causing polluting discharge to enter a waterway.

On 25 November 2015, a Water Quality Inspector (WQI), acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), inspected an outfarm at Shaughan Road, Belleeks.

Silage effluent was discharging from the farm and subsequently observed to be flowing across the road, then down a laneway opposite the farm before entering a tributary of the Ballinasack and Forkhill River.

Downstream, the Inspector observed a significant covering of sewage fungus on the bed of the waterway. The Inspector returned to the farm and discovered that an effluent collection channel, close to the silage clamp, was blocked with mud, debris and vegetation causing the overflow. The effluent was observed flowing freely between the silage clamp and the roadway and the waterway was visibly impacted for a distance greater than 1km.

A sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter which was potentially harmful to fish life in the receiving waterway.

(CD)