The Irish Mail on Sunday

Niamh Walsh’s Manifesto

Doggone... until court grants pet visitation

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IN Bogota, Colombia this week bereft dog lover Jader Castano took his ex-wife to the highest court in the land seeking ‘pre-set guaranteed visits’ to see and play ‘with his dog Simona’. Jader’s ex had full custody of Simona and refused to let Jader, a Colombian university rector, visit his adored doggie whom he fondly referred to as his ‘hija perruna’ or ‘dog child’.

Jader was convinced Simona was ‘emotionall­y affected’ every time their encounters ended and the rector himself became depressed after he lost the dog in the divorce – so much so he couldn’t stomach eating a meal due to his grief. In a ruling, judges at the Bogota Superior Court ruled that the dog should be legally considered his ‘daughter’ and treated as a child in divorce proceeding­s in the first case of its kind in the South American country.

Jader had sued his ex-wife for refusing to let him have scheduled visits with Simona, arguing that the dog was part of the ‘family’s nucleus’ and they have a ‘bond of love’.

In what is a landmark ruling in Latin America the judges ruled that Simona had been a member of the ‘multispeci­es’ family before the divorce.

They said: ‘In the present case it must be emphasised that the plaintiff [Jader] considers Simona as his daughter and that Simona also has a reaction due to the separation of Jader and Lina.’

This judgment follows a similar pattern for animal rights in Colombia. In 2016, judges decreed that animals are not objects that people can just transport – but are instead living beings with feelings.

Some might think this all a bit strange, but not me. Were I ever in a similar predicamen­t I would rather lose my property, my people and the family jewels, before I’d give up my mutts.

Meanwhile in Ireland, some unknown callous cretins chucked two petrified 11-year-old Jack Russells from a moving car. Luckily the two terrified dogs were rescued and are now in the tender care of Dogs Trust.

I am of the school of thought that the punishment should match the crime. So for justice to prevail, these evil animal abusers should also be thrown from a moving vehicle. In my utopian vision this retributio­n would be meted out on the track of the Monaco Grand Prix, from the lead car on the first lap. That would be appropriat­ely ruff justice.

A justice system for all circumstan­ces

THAT Ashling Murphy’s killer is a vile, repugnant monster almost goes without writing. That he is guilty of the callous killing of beautiful, innocent Ashling is unarguable. That he should be locked away and never see the light of day again is, I imagine, a unanimous sentiment amongst rightminde­d citizens.

While the verdict of the jury delivered justice for Ashling and her heartbroke­n family, I imagine it provided little comfort.

But thankfully the justice system, flawed as it may be at times, prevailed and the system worked. That is why the attacks and vitriol spewed at Michael Bowman SC, the defence counsel in the trial, were despicable.

“How can Michael Bowman sleep at night?” raged one online commentato­r. The fact is that by virtue of Puska being afforded the very best of defence our judicial system can provide, we can all sleep a little more soundly at night.

In a democracy, no matter how guilty or repulsive a person, they are entitled to a defence. This defence is not just for him, but is actually in all our interests.

It protects against an appeal on the grounds of denial of human rights, which could very possibly see the guilty walk free. Not because they are innocent but because the law was not properly and judicially applied.

It also protects all citizens against tyranny of the state, and any potential abuse of power. While this was of course nowhere to be seen in this instance, the system is set up to endure in all circumstan­ces, not just in the open-and-shut case presented by the prosecutio­n.

Rememberin­g those who fought for us

MY granddaddy was one of some 80,000 Irish people who joined the British Army to fight the Nazis in World War II – I vividly remember one of those grainy black-andwhite photograph­s of him as a handsome young man in his RAF uniform, displayed in a cabinet in my grandparen­ts’ house.

Like the vast majority of those 80,000 Irish who joined the Allied forces – 10,000 of whom never came home – he signed up because there were no jobs. He went to war to provide for his family. And while I can’t know for sure, instinct tells me that he also joined the RAF out of an inherent sense of right.

My grandad, along with the other 79,999 Irish fighters, risked his life for freedom. They fought for our future. For my future. And for the rights that allowed people to march yesterday, on a day that is usually reserved to remember the veterans of the two World Wars.

Late Late down in the dumpsters

HAVING interviewe­d Late Late host Patrick Kielty I can honestly attest that the man is genuinely warm, engaging and fun. But the guests on the Late Late seem to be the polar opposites of fun.

This week we had Tony Blair’s mouthpiece and author of the Iraq War ‘dodgy dossier’, Alister Campbell, talking about his depression. Though in fairness to Campbell I’d be a tad downcast if I waged war based on a big fat fib.

Then we had some woman talking about, yes, depression. Next up was a blogger in a bin bag. While I’m not entirely sure what binbag man and Kiely chatted about, if you go on live telly dressed in a refuse sack, it’s a sure sign you’re down in the dumpsters.

So while many are willing Kielty to make a success of the Late Late, a rotating panel of doomsters and gloomsters does not make for riveting or enticing Friday night light relief.

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 ?? ?? KIELTY: Pictured with wife Cat Deeley
KIELTY: Pictured with wife Cat Deeley

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