He stated it appeared the Courts Service had sanctioned this below situations, together with that the cat must be stored on a leash
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A decide has voiced “concerns” after a defendant in a felony case was allowed to deliver a cat on a leash right into a courtroom.
Judge John Hughes raised the difficulty after seeing the cat – a “help animal” for an accused man – within the public gallery at Dublin District Court.
The Courts Service has stated it was a “once-off association” on the Criminal Courts of Justice and apologised for failing to seek the advice of the decide.
The subject arose following a court docket sitting as we speak, when Judge Hughes stated there had been a defendant current earlier who had a cat on a leash and “that is a new departure in court.”
He stated it appeared the Courts Service had sanctioned this below situations, together with that the cat must be stored on a leash and never delivered to the building’s canteen. “There was no consultation with the court in relation to this,” the decide stated.
The court docket was “not blind or deaf as to the reason” why the defendant involved had made the applying, Judge Hughes stated.
“There are wider issues at play over and above the requirements of (the defendant) in this matter”, he stated. “I would have presumed the court would have been consulted.
“I was not consulted, I didn’t sanction it, I’m concerned at this development,” the decide stated.
He added that “to extrapolate”, it may “turn into a bizarre situation indeed.”
He requested these current if anybody else had been consulted. A barrister, who was not concerned within the case, stated she didn’t consider authorized practitioners had been.
“I intend to make further enquiries as to what safeguards are put in place, not only for (the defendant) but for the cat which appeared to be distressed and keen not to be present, and also other users of the courtroom,” Judge Hughes said.
The Courts Service this afternoon confirmed that the cat had been allowed into the court.
“The Courts Service made a once off arrangement to allow a defendant bring a support cat to the CCJ today, if it was on a leash, and that the defendant leave after his case was heard,” a spokesperson stated.
“This was only allowed as the CCJ is such a large building, and the time for the support animal’s presence was short. Our internal communications around this arrangement did not reach the judge in the court, for which we apologise.”
