Chahoud v Penrith City Council [2020] NSWLEC 167

Land and Environment Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Chahoud v Penrith City Council [2020] NSWLEC 167 Hearing dates: 17 November 2020 Date of orders: 30 November 2020 Decision date: 30 November 2020 Jurisdiction: Class 6 Before: Pepper J Decision: See orders at [152]. Catchwords: APPEAL: appeal against sentence – pleas of guilty entered in the court below – construction of large shed without consent – prohibited use of the land as a truck depot – no actual or potential environmental harm other than to integrity of planning regime – mental state of the offender at the time of the commission of the offences – criminal negligence or recklessness – capacity to pay a fine – application of totality principle – appeal allowed – no order as to costs. Legislation Cited: Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2011 ss 21A, 31, 39, 49 Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 ss 3A, 10, 10A, 21A, 22A Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 ss 1.3, 4.3, 9.52, 9.53, 76A, 76B, 125 Fines Act 1996 s 6 Penrith Local Environmental Plan 2010 Cases Cited: Axer Pty Ltd v Environment Protection Authority (1993) 113 LGERA 357 Bay State Construction Pty Ltd v Woollahra Municipal Council [2020] NSWLEC 86 Bentley v BGP Properties Pty Ltd [2006] NSWLEC 34; (2006) 145 LGERA 234 Bikhit v The Queen [2007] NSWCCA 202 Cabonne Shire Council v Environment Protection Authority [2001] NSWCCA 280; (2001) 115 LGERA 304 Camilleri's Stock Feeds Pty Ltd v Environment Protection Authority (1993) 32 NSWLR 683 Chief Executive of the Office of Environment and Heritage, Department of Premier and Cabinet v Turnbull [2014] NSWLEC 150 Chief Executive Office of Environment and Heritage v Rummery [2012] NSWLEC 271; (2012) 192 LGERA 314 Chief Executive, Office of Environment and Heritage v Brummell [2019] NSWLEC 114; (2019) 242 LGERA 241 Cmunt v Commissioner of Police NSW [2019] NSWLEC 33 Director-General, Department of Environment and Climate Change v Rae [2009] NSWLEC 137; (2009) 168 LGERA 121 Director-General, Department of Environment and Climate Change v Hudson (No 2) [2015] NSWLEC 110 Environment Protection Authority v Albiston [2020] NSWLEC 80 Environment Protection Authority v Barnes [2006] NSWCCA 246 Environment Protection Authority v Crown in the Right of New South Wales (Office of Environment and Heritage) [2019] NSWLEC 66 Environment Protection Authority v GrainCorp Operations Limited [2019] NSWLEC 143 Environment Protection Authority v Moolarben Coal Operations Pty Ltd [2012] NSWLEC 65 Environment Protection Authority v Rands [2019] NSWLEC 23 Environment Protection Authority v Ridley AgriProducts Pty Limited [2019] NSWLEC 119 Environment Protection Authority v Sydney Water Corporation [2019] NSWLEC 100 Environment Protection Authority v Waste Recycling and Processing Corp [2006] NSWLEC 419; (2006) 148 LGERA 299 Gittany Constructions Pty Ltd v Sutherland Shire Council [2006] NSWLEC 242; (2006) 145 LGERA 189 Gore v The Queen [2010] NSWCCA 330; 208 A Crim R 353 Harris v Harrison [2014] NSWCCA 84; (2014) 86 NSWLR 422 Heatscape Pty Ltd v Mahoney (No 2) [2016] NSWLEC 45; (2016) 217 LGERA 332 Johnson v The Queen [2004] HCA 15; (2004) 78 ALJR 616 Lane Cove Council v Wu [2011] NSWLEC 43 Liverpool City Council v Maller Holdings Pty Ltd (No 2) [2015] NSWLEC 48 Markarian v The Queen [2005] HCA 25; (2005) 228 CLR 357 Mill v The Queen [1988] HCA 70; (1988) 166 CLR 59 Mosman Municipal Council v Menai Excavations Pty Ltd [2002] NSWLEC 132; (2002) 122 LGERA 89 Mouawad v The Hills Shire Council [2013] NSWLEC 165; (2013) 199 LGERA 28 Muldrock v R [2011] HCA 39; (2011) 244 CLR 120 Parker v Director of Public Prosecutions of NSW (1992) 28 NSWLR 282 Pesic v Sutherland Shire Council [2019] NSWLEC 38 Plath of Department of Environment and Climate Change v Fish [2010] NSWLEC 144; (2010) 179 LGERA 386 Plath v Rawson [2009] NSWLEC 178; (2009) 170 LGERA 253 Plath v Vaccount Pty Ltd t/as Tableland Timbers [2011] NSWLEC 202 R v MAK; R v MSK [2006] NSWCCA 381; 167 A Crim R 159 R v Olbrich [1999] HCA 54; (1999) 199 CLR 270 R v Oliver (1980) 7 A Crim R 174 R v Thomson; R v Houlton [2000] NSWCCA 309; (2000) 49 NSWLR 383 R v Visconti [1982] 2 NSWLR 104 R v Wickham [2004] NSWCCA 193 Terrey v Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water [2011] NSWLEC 141 Veen v The Queen [1979] HCA 7; (1979) 143 CLR 458 Veen v The Queen (No 2) [1988] HCA 14; (1988) 164 CLR 465 Walden v Hensler [1987] HCA 54; (1987) 163 CLR 561 Texts Cited: Stephen Odgers SC, Sentence (5th ed, 2020, Longueville Media Pty Ltd) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Sirine Chahoud (Applicant) Penrith City Council (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: E Rahme (solicitor) (Applicant) D Robertson (Respondent)