Bouncer denies trying to blackmail former world boxing champion
An Albanian bouncer has denied he tried to blackmail former boxing world champion Steve Collins after he fractured his two front teeth.
Mr Adriatik Vodo was recalled to the witness box after Mr Collins alleged today under cross-examination that the doorman and his former employer were in a money making conspiracy.
Mr Vodo told Mr Patrick McGrath BL, prosecuting, that he never sought any money from Collins and denied agreeing to change his evidence.
Mr Collins (aged 46) of St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Mr Vodo on June 3, 2006 at the National Stadium, South Circular Road. It was day three of the trial.
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 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 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 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 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 Patrick Purcell BL, defending, 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.
Judge Tony Hunt told the jury at the beginning of his charge, following closing speeches by prosecution and defence, that a verdict must be based on the facts of the case and warned that the trial “is not the X-Factor or Eurovision so don’t pick your favourite”.
The seven men and five women of the jury will begin deliberations tomorrow.
Mr Gavin Blanchfield, head of security for Shamrock Security based inside the stadium, told Mr Purcell that after Collins was refused entry by Mr Vodo he was informed of an incident taking place at the side door.
“When I walked down the steps I saw Mr Collins and heard him tell Mr Vodo that he needed to go back inside,” said Mr Blanchfield.
“I knew Mr Collins was there to commentate for RTE so I identified myself to Mr Vodo and ushered him aside and then I beckoned Mr Collins to come inside.”
He said that when Collins stepped towards the door to go inside, Mr Vodo stretched his “two arms out towards Mr Collins.”
“Before that he (Mr Vodo) had pushed me aside. I didn’t see whether Mr Vodo pushed Mr Collins and I didn’t see the point of impact when Mr Collins hit Mr Vodo,” said Mr Blanchfield.
Under cross examining by Mr McGrath, he denied that he was a “friend or admirer of Mr Collins”.
“I never met Mr Collins directly before this and I have no interest in boxing,” said Mr Blanchfield.
