Camross‘hasa piddlingproblem’

November 1978

There has been a number of complaints from local people in Camross about others urinating in public in the vicinity of the dance hall there, Sergeant John Halpin told District Justice Dermot Dunleavy at the sitting of New Ross Court last week.

Sergt. Halpin was speaking in the case of [NAME WITHELD], who was summonsed in relation to an alleged offence there on the night of June 3rd last.

Told by Sergt. Halpin that defendant was not actually going to the dance in Camross Hall that night though, the Justice asked: ‘Did he come specially to perform outside the dance hall? It seems to be a favourite sport there. It’s like Pete the Piddling Pup.’

Sergt. Halpin said the area was lit and there was a number of young people going to the dance at the time.

Mr. J. Breen (solicitor) said defendant was passing by and stopped to get a bag of chips. He was short-taken and did not realise he was committing an offence.

Defendant said he was passing through the village when he saw a chip van and he decided to stop to get some chips. It was a case of emergency. He did not realise he was committing an offence. It was dark where he performed the act and nobody passed by while he did it.

The Justice said that one of ingredients of the section under which the summons was brought was that it must be in a place where people habitually passed, and it must offend morals. There was a doubt as to whether this case complied with the law.

The defendant’s evidence was very fair and the Sergt. corroborated that, the Justice said. He (defendant) merely stopped to get chips and was short-taken.

On all the evidence, there was a grave doubt as to whether it was a breach of the law. He gave defendant the benefit of the doubt and dismissed the case.