Dentist was given 10 days to flee

A Georgian business owner showed up at a Romanian dentist’s surgery and warned him he had 10 days to leave Ireland or pay protection money, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

Det Garda Niamh Coates said Archili Mindadze, aged 40, and a co-accused asked the dentist: “Who is your roof?”, meaning who did he pay protection money to.

Mindadze sliced the dentist’s hand and struck him in the face as he and the co-accused, who has since fled the country, questioned him about protection money.

Mindadze, of Griffith Hall, Griffith Avenue, Dublin pleaded guilty to assaulting Iurii Borta causing him harm at Summerhill Parade, Dublin 1, on October 1, 2012.

Det Gda Coates told Fiona Murphy, prosecuting, that Mr Borta’s sister came into the surgery during the altercation and saw the dentist bleeding. Mindadze and his co-accused warned they would “never leave this place” if they called the police and gave Mr Borta 10 days to leave Ireland or pay protection money.

Mr Borta immediately reported the attack to gardaí, who arrested Mindadze and his co-accused when they returned on October 12, 2012.

A victim impact statement was read to the court, as Mr Borta did not wish to be present. The dentist wrote that he suffered scarring and numbness on his left hand. He said he sometimes got nervous and anxious for no reason, but that “time has healed that a bit”.