Collins acquitted of bouncer assault

Former boxing world champion Steve Collins has been acquitted at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of assaulting an Albanian bouncer.

The jury took an hour and 35 minutes to return a unanimous verdict, finding Mr Collins not guilty of assault causing harm to Adriatik Vodo at the National Stadium on June 3, 2006 at the National Stadium, South Circular Road. It was day four of the trial.

Judge Tony Hunt thanked the jurors for their care and attention to the case and told them the service they provided was an invaluable one.

Earlier in the four-day trial Mr Collins (aged 44) told his counsel, Mr Patrick Purcell BL, that Mr Vodo had “man-handled” him while refusing him re-entry to the stadium to finish RTÉ commentary on Bernard Dunne versus Jim Rock boxing match.

Mr Collins said he was “acting on self-defence”.

Mr Collins said he had no formal accreditation to gain entry into the stadium but that he had been employed by RTÉ to commentate on numerous fights at the venue.

Mr Collins explained that he had left the stadium to get some fresh air as it was “hot and sticky” inside but returned two minutes later to come back in using the same door.

He said he was “very relaxed and jolly” as he made his way back into the stadium but was then stopped by the doorman, Mr Vodo.

“He stopped me and then put his hands on my chest and started to man-handle me and pushed me away,” Mr Collins said.

“I explained to him that I was working for RTÉ and other people around me were telling him who I was and to let me in,” he said.

He told Mr Purcell that the doorman appeared aggressive despite RTÉ co-commentator Mr Mick Dowell explaining to Mr Vodo who he was.

“The bouncer (Mr Vodo) started holding me and pushing me and pushed me about a metre outside the door.

“I then realised he was not listening to me and he was getting out of hand,” Mr Collins explained.

He said Mr Gavin Blanchfield, head of security, arrived and told Mr Vodo to let him into the stadium.

He said Mr Vodo became more aggressive and said it did not suit Mr Vodo to let him back inside to fulfil his work commitments with RTÉ.

“He then thumped me in the chest with force and then I realised he lost it and I felt it was a dangerous situation as Mr Vodo seemed deaf to instruction and was looking at me with anger,” Mr Collins said.

“He then went to grab my shirt and my initial reaction was to break away his grip with my left arm. I brought my left hand up with force to break him away from me and I made contact with his mouth,” he said.

He said he then drove to Blanchardstown to where his mother was living, changed his shirt as there was blood on it and returned to the stadium.

He drove his hired silver Volkswagen car to his “regular spot” near the exit gateway of the stadium and walked to the nearest entrance to re-gain entry to the premises.

“I was confronted by Mr Vodo again and I went: ‘Oh no,’ and he proceeded to call his boss.”

Mr Sean Jordan, Mr Vodo’s employer, arrived at the door and told Mr Vodo and Mr Collins to “shake hands and forget about it” which Mr Collins said he was fine about that.

He denied under cross-examination by prosecution counsel Mr Patrick McGrath BL, that he had used bad language and acted like “a caged animal” after he was refused re-entry.

He also denied that his “pride was injured”, but admitted he “wasn’t happy” that he was not allowed back into the stadium.

Mr Vodo was recalled to the witness box on day three of the trial after Mr Collins alleged under cross-examination that the doorman and his former employer were in a money-making conspiracy.

Mr Vodo told Mr McGrath that he never sought any money from Mr Collins and denied agreeing to change his evidence.

Mr Vodo said he was “surprised” to hear there had been an attempt by his former security boss, Mr Sean Jordan, to “settle the case out of court”.

“I don’t know anything about money and I did not know anything about Mr Jordan trying to resolve things,” said Mr Vodo.

Mr Sean Jordan, head of security at the National Stadium was also recalled as a witness and denied being in a conspiracy with Mr Vodo to blackmail Mr Collins, but admitted he did attempt to “settle expenses without having to go to court”.

He told Mr McGrath that in July 2008 he contacted Mr Vodo’s solicitor and Mr Collins’s brother Roddy in an attempt to “sort it out without garda involvement”.

“I tried for two weeks to sort things out as I have huge admiration for Steve Collins and I didn’t want to see him with any conviction,” said Mr Jordan.

Garda Cillian Blake gave evidence that he was not aware of any conspiracy to blackmail Mr Collins and that he was never informed by any other garda that Collins had made such a complaint.

“If a complaint was made by Mr Collins to another garda I would have expected it to be brought to my attention as the garda would have required statements from this case.”

He also said there was no record of Mr Collins’s complaint on the garda PULSE system.

Dr Joseph McKeever, a trauma surgeon at Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown and the in-house fight doctor at the National Stadium, told Mr Purcell that he was refused entry three times by Mr Vodo on the night.

“I had great difficulty getting into the stadium that night as I was told by security at the front door to go to the side door to gain access,” said Dr McKeever.

“I asked the security man at the side entrance, who I now know as Mr Vodo, to let me through as I was the doctor for the fights taking place,” he said.

He said Mr Vodo told him to go around to the front entrance. Dr McKeever said because of Mr Vodo’s “demeanour” he complied.

“I got the same response from the front door security staff to go back around to the side door,” said Dr McKeever.

He said he found Mr Vodo “intimidating, aggressive with fixed eyeball contact and his fists clenched” when he tried to gain access for the third time.

“He wasn’t listening to me and as I didn’t want a verbal or physical altercation I was going to go home,” said Dr McKeever.

He said if he had left the stadium to go home the fight night would have been cancelled as he would not have been there to tend to any injured boxers.

He added he was recognised by a third party who told Mr Vodo to let him inside.

Speaking outside the court after the verdict was delivered Mr Collins said the result has brought him “great relief as the past four years have been very stressful”.

“My character had been assassinated and a picture painted of me was untrue. I am extremely relieved for my mother, my wife and my children,” said Mr Collins.

“I haven’t slept for the past four nights and I’ve been quite emotional,” he said.

He said he has “absolutely no regrets” over defending himself against Mr Vodo and said his reaction was “instant and one of self-defence and a very, very limited one at that”.

“I have a very disciplined reaction of self defence and everyone has the right to defend themselves”, he said.

He said he would not comment on the allegations he made during the trial that Mr Vodo and Mr Sean Jordan were in a conspiracy to blackmail him for money.

“I want to park that for the time being,” he said.

Mr Collins thanked his legal team Mr Patrick Purcell BL and solicitor Liam Keane and Colm O’Doherty for “taking the case and accepting my version of events and standing by me”.

He also thanked the jury whom he said “listened with great interest and even until the last minute were still asking the judge questions”.

“I am glad it is all over and I am glad the jury came to their decision which I know is the right decision.”

“I am a happy man and the verdict has re-assured my belief in the legal system,” he said.