Judge visits bedroom over noise dispute with church

A JUDGE has made a brief unscheduled stop in the bedroom of a Gort woman as part of a fact-finding mission concerning her noise pollution row with a Christian church.

Judge Patrick Durcan, accompanied by his registrar and a garda, entered Sandra Broderick’s bedroom as part of the judge’s judicial field trip into the noise pollution row.

Ms Broderick lives above a large unit operated by the Assembly of God church and she is bringing a case to Gort District Court under the Environmental Protection Agency Act seeking to end noise disruption by the loud amplified music and drums coming from church members a number of days each week.

Solicitor for the church’s pastor Mauri Fetoza, Colman Sherry, suggested Judge Durcan should visit the church building to give him a better understanding of the issues.

He agreed and during his short visit to the church at The Grove, Kinnincha Road, Gort, Co Galway, Ms Broderick made an impromptu request that he also view her apartment overhead.

She told Judge Durcan: “This is my own bedroom so it is directly over the unit.”

The group remained in Ms Broderick’s bedroom for 25 seconds before Judge Durcan told the parties he wanted to see a compromise in the row.

The church has been operating in Gort – known as ‘Little Brazil’ – for 17 years with its mainly Brazilian congregation numbering around 150.

The parties returned to the unit where the church services are held and Ms Broderick said: “We have no issue with the church being here at all. It is just too loud.”

Judge Durcan adjourned the case for finalisation next Wednesday.