John Howard's Brother Facing Jail For Chopping Down Endangered Trees

[hatrack]

:evilgrin:

PRIME Minister John Howard's brother Stan will be prosecuted for chopping down dozens of endangered trees.

Stan Howard, who owns two adjoining properties in Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands, faces a jail term or a hefty fine if found guilty of knowingly cutting down the threatened species. Mr Howard's wife Caroline recently bought the properties for nearly $6.2 million.

According to a memo obtained by The Daily Telegraph, Mr Howard approved the trees be cut down because his caretaker, Rohan Corby, was worried the trees posed a risk to his children.

In November, acting on a tip-off, a Wingecarribee Shire Council ranger visited Mr Corby's home on the Howard property. The ranger had been tipped off by a neighbour, who was annoyed to see dozens of trees being lopped when she had waited a year to be granted approval to have 13 trees chopped down. When he met Mr Howard and Mr Corby, the ranger asked to look at the lopped trees and discovered between 60 and 70 trees had been chopped down. The trees, classed as Southern Highlands shale woodland and Robertson Basalt tall open forest vegetation, are protected under NSW laws as endangered species.

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http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17788349%255E421,00.html