A dispute among neighbours about car clamping, which saw a pair of dead ducks placed at the doorway of the secretary of a residents’ committee, is to be resolved with flowers.
Judge Neilan asked Mr Nurney to make a voluntary contribution to the residents association at Clois an Blinn, Trim Road, Kinnegad when he appeared before him charged with two counts of threatening behaviour.
The money, he said, could be used to plant flowers for the springtime.
The court heard that Ms Elizabeth O’Rourke, secretary of the residents’ committee had distributed a notice to those living in the apartments that clamping of vehicles would take place within a week.
However, when Mr Nurney who lived in apartment No 1 got the notice, he called to her and there was an exchange of views where the ‘f’ word was used a number of times on November 3 2007.
Six days later he was caught on CCTV leaving a small bag of rubbish outside her door. It contained two dead ducks which he had been asked by a hunting friend to deliver to her neighbour.
The court heard that there were a number of residents who didn’t agree with Ms O’Rourke’s plans and that she had been removed from her position a week later.
Mr Nurney apologised unreservedly for his actions. “I apologise to Ms O’Rourke. I know I was wrong, I apologise to the lady.” He had brought a sum of money in compensation to the court.
He said that Ms O’Rourke had been coming to his friends and family as they were trying to park their cars and was “interfering with him”.
He said that during his conversation with her, “I did a lot of talking and she did a lot of listening” and the ducks were left “in a moment of stupidity”.
Four weeks after the summons was issued, he moved from the area, saying he didn’t like to be involved in such incidents.
Judge Neilan said that planners should take more care when drawing up plans for residential locations as failure to do so can “cause frustration for home owners”.
The judge said he would not ask Mr Nurney how much money he had brought but asked him to consider donating it to the residents’ association for the planting of flowers for springtime “to alleviate the situation”.
