letsrecycle.com

Pair who attacked Suez crew member sentenced

Suez has “taken the difficult decision” to publicise an assault on its crews in Doncaster, after a couple pleaded guilty to attacking a crew member last year.

The assault was captured on the vehicles camera system, which was used as evidence in court

The company explained that a member of crew was attacked by a woman and her partner during a collection round in the Askern area in Doncaster in March 2021.

The crew rejected a recycling bin and explained that it was because of an old duvet stuffed inside, which can’t be recycled through kerbside collections and should be taken to a household waste and recycling centre.

The couple then chased the member of crew down the street and attacked him. The assault was captured on the collection’s vehicle CCTV (below) and used as evidence in court.

South Yorkshire Police named the couple as Laura Siddall, aged 31 and John Mohoney, aged 36. Their victim was 62 years old.

The police said the pair pleaded guilty at Doncaster Magistrates Court on 24 March. They both received the following sentences:

  • 40 hours unpaid work
  • An order to pay £50 compensation
  • An order to pay a victim surcharge of £95
  • An order to pay £100 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service

‘Shocked’

SUEZ said that “it decided to publicise the assault given its severity and the fact this is sadly not an uncommon occurrence.”

John Wilkinson, the company’s regional director, said: “We were shocked and sorry that a member of our crew had to endure such horrific and unprovoked abuse.

“SUEZ has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to the abuse and harassment of our employees who are delivering an essential public service. Regrettably, assaults on our collection crews are not uncommon and we would like to thank South Yorkshire Police for their support in pursuing this incident.”

Councillor Mark Houlbrook, portfolio holder for sustainability and waste for Doncaster council, added: “We absolutely deplore the actions of the individuals involved in this incident. There is no situation in which this behaviour should be accepted or tolerated. It should be a given that all staff in the workplace are treated with respect.”

This was a shocking assault

PC Egan-Wyer, South Yorkshire Police

‘Strong case’

PC Egan-Wyer, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “This was a shocking assault on workers who were simply trying to do their job.”

He continued that he was pleased that the police were able to secure such a strong case which resulted in both defendants pleading guilty.

“I would hope that hours working in the community will help both of them to realise how valuable these workers are and encourage them to treat them with the respect they deserve in the future,” PC Egan-Wyer added.

He concluded that the police “will always endeavour to do all we can to seek justice in cases like these and put offenders before the courts.”

Share this article with others

Subscribe for free

Subscribe to receive our newsletters and to leave comments.

Back to top

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get the latest waste and recycling news straight to your inbox.

Subscribe