Charge over dog row is dismissed

A row over a small dog in the garden of a house in Blackrock ended up in court last week, with a man claiming his female neighbour had swung a broom in his face, breaking his glasses.

Ann McCourt, (53), 72 Gort na Glaisce, had pleaded not guilty to a summons for assault on a neighbour in the estate on the evening of October 26. Judge John Coughlan found her not guilty and dismissed the charge.

The judge had heard evidence from the neighbour who alleged that shortly after 6pm he became aware that his dog was in the front garden on McCourt’s house. He said there were ‘ongoing issues’ between him and the defendant.

The complainant went outside, carrying his two-year-old daughter in his arms and saw the dog running towards him.

He alleged McCourt was going after the dog with a brush or a broom and claimed that when he bent down to pick up the dog, the defendant ‘swung a brush’ at him.

He alleged his glasses were broken and he had a bruise on his face.

McCourt’s solicitor said it was no possible for his client to have hit the complainant in the way that had been described and if she was going to strike him at all, she would have hit him in the back.

The complainant said he was hit in the face with a brush.

The solicitor put it to him that McCourt had heard her own dog ‘going mad’ as the neighbour’s dog was in the garden. She said she ‘shooed’ it out the gate and alleged the complainant shouted at her to keep away from the dog. She said she shook her head and closed the door.

The next thing she knew the Gardai were at her door and she made a statement fully denying the alleged assault. Judge Coughlan asked to see the statements in the case and after reading them, he said: ‘You are both citizens of the state. I’m going to strike out the matter and leave it in civil law’.