Cork: Row at airport taxi rankA ROW blew up at the airport taxi rank when a man unloaded bags from a private car and later punched the taxi driver on the nose when the taxi man allegedly shouted — “I’m going to f*** your mother.”
Christopher Mullan, 42, from Cobh, Co. Cork, admitted that he punched Christopher Enogieru, 52, of 54 The Manor, Clondulane, Fermoy, Co. Cork, on the nose.
Mr Mullan was given an adult caution by gardaí arising out of the incident. He was called as a prosecution witness against the taxi driver.
Christopher Enogieru was before Cork District Court where he pleaded not guilty to a charge of engaging in threatening behaviour.
Unlike Mullan, Enogieru had refused to take an adult caution from gardaí to avoid a prosecution. He insisted that he never said, “I’m going to f*** your mother” or anything like that so he contested the case.
Judge Olann Kelleher found the facts against Enogieru proven on the threatening charge and bound him to the peace for 12 months but he said the defendant could avoid a conviction if he came up with 750 for the prosecution witness expenses by February 16 next.
The judge said that even on Enogieru’s own evidence he told Mullan to f*** off and had beeped on his horn.
In the case investigated by Garda Brian Motyer, Christopher Mullan said his dad dropped him and his wife to the airport on July 26, 2013, and stopped briefly at the taxi rank for them to take out their bags.
He testified, “The taxi driver beeped continuously and said we should not be there. I said we were only taking our bags out.
‘‘We started shouting at each other. The taxi driver was abusive saying he was going to f*** my mother.
“I was leaning in the car window. I punched him in the nose. I walked away. The gentleman got out of the taxi, he kind of pushed me aside. He said you are not taking these bags.”
Inspector McGuire asked Mr Mullan why he got so upset. He replied, “Because my mother is dead and you should not speak about someone like that even if she was alive.”
Graham Hyde, solicitor for Enogieru said the defendant was bleeding from the nose after being assaulted and was holding on to the bags so that the assailant would remain at the scene until the gardaí arrived.
Witnesses gave slightly different versions of events but a number of them said they saw Enogieru being punched in the face and bleeding from his nose afterwards.
The taxi driver repeatedly denied under cross-examination by Inspector Michael McGuire that he had made the derogatory comment about Mullan’s mother. He insisted that he only told him to f*** off out of the taxi rank when Mullan told him to f*** off. Enogieru also said he beeped once and that other drivers behind him also beeped.
source:
http://www.eveningecho.ie/2014/12/08/row-airport-taxi/
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