COCO THE PET cat became a video star for all the wrong reasons, a judge in the Circuit Civil Court was told today.

Judge James McCourt heard that an aggrieved lawyer and his wife had recorded for 18 months what Coco had got up to night and day in their newly-laid-out front garden at their Mountain View Road home in Ranelagh, Dublin.

Well-known Dublin solicitor Michael Nugent and his wife, Anna, reached the stage that they could no longer tolerate Coco’s use of their soil-based flower garden as a lavatory, the court heard.

So they brought Coco’s owner, Geraldine Kennedy, who lived just across the road from them, to court demanding damages for nuisance and restraints on Coco’s trespassing and defecating in their garden.

A judge in the District Court awarded the Nugents €6,000 damages against Kennedy and threw out her counter claim for compensation for harassment and restraining orders against Michael Nugent who was filmed on a door-cam persistently ringing their unanswered doorbell and rapping their door knocker.

At one point in the hours-long “suite” of videos, Michael Nugent was recorded following Kennedy up to her front door and allegedly putting his foot in the doorway, telling her he would take it out when she kept her cat out of their garden.

Kennedy appealed the award of damages against her, which brought Coco’s toileting habits up again in an appeal before Judge McCourt in the Circuit Court.

Neither party went into evidence before Judge McCourt, who watched excerpts of Coco relieving himself in the Nugents’ garden and then neatly hiding the evidence by pawing soil over his calling cards.

Judge McCourt appealed to both parties to sit down and talk things out in a neighbourly fashion but was told by barrister Stephen Fennelly, who appeared with Kay Cogan, of Cogan Daly Solicitors, for Kennedy that neither party was willing to hammer out an agreement. The court would have to decide.

Michael Nugent, a Dublin solicitor, appeared for and represented himself and his wife and told the court Coco dug up seeds and pawed soil from under and around the roots of flowers they had planted.

Judge McCourt attempted to make peace after viewing video of Coco pawing soil in what appeared to be his favourite spot for relieving himself in a corner of the Nugent garden, followed by videos of persistent ringing and knocking at the Kennedy front door by Michael Nugent. 

“A court of law is the last place a dispute between neighbours should end up,” he told both parties. He said Kennedy pleaded she was a responsible pet owner by allowing her cat out, which she was entitled to do.

He said he could not see any evidence of the Kennedy cat damaging the Nugent garden with its small paws but he could see it pawing soil. Often dogs or foxes left an even greater mess in gardens in seconds.

“Quite honestly this is something I believe should move on,” he said.  

He did not think cats could be put on a lead when allowed out for their constitutionals. His was not a criminal court and the people before him were civilised people living in a civilised neighbourhood.

Judge McCourt said he was prepared to spend whatever hours were necessary to view all the videos and listen to all of the evidence and would do so after lunch but following the lunch adjournment he was told he could vacate the lower court’s orders and strike out the appeal with no order for costs.