Collins jury fails to reach verdict

A jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has failed to reach a verdict in the trial of former boxing world champion Steve Collins on a charge of assaulting a bouncer at the National Stadium two years ago.

The jury had been deliberating for four hours before telling Judge Desmond Hogan that it was deadlocked following the six-day trial.

Mr Collins (aged 44) of St Albans, Hertfordshire, England had pleaded not guilty to assaulting 37-year-old Albanian national, Mr Adriatik Vodo, when he was refused entry at the stadium on June 3, 2006.

He claimed in evidence that he acted in self-defence when he struck Mr Vodo.

"I was not the aggressor. Everything I did was pure self-defence," he said and demonstrated from the witness box the marital arts defence move he said he employed when the bouncer "thumped" him on the chest to block his way.

"I had no doubt in my mind he was going to assault me so I felt I had no choice but to defend myself. I did not want to be the aggressor. I felt threatened. I wanted to break free of his grip and get out of there," he said.

Judge Hogan discharged the jury and thanked the 10 men and two women for what he said was its great attention to the evidence and conscientious deliberation. He said it happened that juries sometimes could not agree on a verdict.

He remanded Mr Collins on continuing bail for mention of the case again on January 13 next to ascertain if the Director of Public Prosecutions decides to press ahead with a new trial.

Judge Hogan agreed with prosecuting counsel, Mr Sean Gillane BL, and defence counsel, Mr Martin Dully BL, that a transcript of the trial would be made available to both sides in the event of a new trial.

Mr Vodo told Mr Gillane that the incident leading to the assault charge happened after he stopped Mr Collins trying to gain entrance to the stadium through an emergency fire-door without any sign a valid pass.

Mr Vodo demonstrated in the witness box how he held the door with his right hand and blocked Mr Collins's entrance with his left hand after he established he had no valid pass or stamp on his hand.

"He (Mr Collins) looked me in the eyes and said: 'In two seconds if you don't move, I break your head and I put your teeth on the floor'".

He said he asked Mr Collins to calm down and suggested if he was not happy, he could radio another security person to sort the matter but the former champion boxer pushed him and began weaving his body left and right before he struck him on the face, injuring two of his teeth.

Mr Vodo said he did not think the ex-boxer would punch him and that after he was struck he felt shock, his mouth filled with blood and his vision was white.

"I looked him (Mr Collins) in the eyes and I said: 'Thank you very much, well done'."

Mr Vodo said the ex-boxer challenged him to a private boxing match later that night and said after he drove a green Audi car at speed to another fire-exit where he was re-stationed after their initial altercation and Mr Collins said to him: "You and me, we finish the game tonight."

Mr Vodo added: "I was afraid of him and I'm still afraid of him."

The jury viewed CCTV footage of the incident where a man in a white shirt, identified by Mr Vodo as Mr Collins, was seen to go lunge forward on his knee after an apparent verbal exchange with him. This footage was also viewed again at its request by the jury during its deliberations.

Dr Joseph McKeever, a consultant at James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown was the fight doctor that evening and said he was twice confronted by Mr Vodo who he described as being "inappropriately belligerent for the role he was doing".

Dr McKeever said the bouncer "clenched his fist and stared at me menacingly" as he refused him entry.

He said he had never been at the receiving end of such hostility before or since, adding that Mr Vodo's face "is not one I would forget because he was very aggressive".