'A selfish and disgusting crime': Serial fly-tipper shamed again

A serial fly-tipper has been brought to justice for a second time in Manchester after piles of unsightly waste and rubbish were found dumped in alleyways. Council bosses spoke of a 'selfish and disgusting crime' as they revealed details of the latest case against Illie Costel Baltatu, 53.

Baltatu, the council said, was convicted of fly-tipping in October, 2019, and ordered to undertake unpaid work in the community. Now he's been back in court, where magistrates suspended a jail sentence.

At a hearing at Manchester and Salford magistrates' court on 13 December, following an investigation by Manchester City Council, Baltatu, of Attwood Street, Longsight, pleaded guilty to three fly-tipping offences. He was jailed for 18 weeks, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.

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The council said he was also slapped with an 18-month driving ban and made to surrender two vehicles used to dump rubbish in the Longsight area.

Council officers found a large amount of waste dumped in an alleyway on Mountbatten Street, Longsight, in September, 2022 and evidence within it that traced back to a nearby resident. The resident confirmed to the council Baltatu had been employed by them to remove waste from their property following renovations, and that they had paid him £1,800 to dispose of it appropriately. Instead, he left it in a nearby alleyway.

Then on June 6 last year, a resident saw three men, one recognised as Baltatu, remove a large amount of waste from two Mercedes vans parked on Odette Street, Longsight, before dumping it in an alleyway. The waste included mattresses, bags and furniture. Baltatu, who lived nearby, was found to be the registered keeper of both vans.

A council spokesperson said: "The council's environmental crimes team wrote to Mr Baltatu on several occasions to invite him to attend a recorded interview to discuss the allegations, but he failed to respond.

"On a third occasion, on June 14, 2023, three men were witnessed unloading two fridges from a car and leaving them in the alleyway behind Mountbatten Street, Longsight. Mr Baltatu was found to be the owner of the vehicle - a white Ford transit van.

"He was questioned under caution in respect of this incident and confirmed he was the owner of the vehicle. He denied fly-tipping the fridges but confessed he was driving the van at the time the offence was carried out."

Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, executive member for vibrant neighbourhoods, said: "The recent prosecution of Mr Ilie Costel Baltatu shows that we do not tolerate criminal behaviour that harms our environment and causes distress to residents who deserve to live in safe and clean areas in our city.

"Mr Baltatu's is a repeat offender of fly-tipping in the Longsight area and his guilty verdict is a testament to the hard work of our Environmental Crimes Team who take this work very seriously in bringing perpetrators to justice.

"Fly-tipping remains a selfish and disgusting crime that we are committed to stamping out in communities and I hope this case serves as a deterrent to others who are considering committing this crime."