A County Tyrone cattle dealer who defrauded an 83-year-old farmer has been given a suspended sentence. David Lee, 56, of Carrickaness Road, Dungannon, showed 'complete disregard' for rules protecting the food chain, the court heard.
Lee was convicted of fraud and several other charges. He was ordered to pay £6,000 in compensation and fined £3,600. The offences related to an incident in August 2015 when Lee turned up late at night at Patrick McGorrey's farm in Clonoe with more cattle than agreed. The animals were not of the specification ordered, affecting their resale value, and a number were sick, leaving the family with a £2,000 vet's bill.
The McGorreys said they believed their elderly father had been 'taken advantage of'. The judge at Dungannon Magistrates' Court said Lee had demonstrated contempt for the rules on which food safety in Northern Ireland is based. He noted that the farming community depended on the 'integrity' of the animal movement system, which underpins human health and provides assurances in the event of an animal disease outbreak.
The judge said he found it 'alarming' that someone with Lee's 'contemptuous attitude to the rules' could be so heavily involved in the cattle trade. The court was told that Lee had sold 3,000 cattle in a ten-month period. Lee was given a three-month prison sentence suspended for two years on the fraud charge, with further suspended sentences for failing to notify the Department of Agriculture of animal movements and failing to keep a herd register. Lee plans to appeal the fraud conviction, effectively postponing the compensation payment.
