Castlebar taxi driver denies assault after Prime Time slur

Taxi driver denies assault after Prime Time slur


A TAXI driver who featured on a Prime Time Investigates programme on social welfare fraud denied the allegation that he had assaulted a man who taunted him regarding the programme and claimed that he was the victim.
Morris Agboerha of 52 Chestnut Grove, Castlebar and Andrew Morris of 35 Castlegrove East, Castlebar both denied claims that they had assaulted each other at the taxi rank outside the Top Nosh fast-food restaurant on December 13, 2009. Mr Agboerha, a Nigerian national, had featured in a Prime Time Investigates programme in 2009, which resulted in him being convicted of social welfare fraud.
Mr Morris told the court that after leaving a pub at 2am, he went to Mr Agboerha’s taxi and they were negotiating a fare home. He claimed that Mr Agboerha was overcharging and said, ‘you have taken enough money off this country’ in reference to the Prime Time programme.
Mr Morris said that he ‘flipped’ and swung the car door open which caught him in the head. He claimed he was pinned up against the wall and hit three or four times in the face. He  said he was bleeding and taken to the hospital where he received seven staples to his head.
Mr Agboerha denied this and claimed that Mr Morris was abusing him over the Prime Time programme. He said that Mr Morris started to bang his car and punched him through the open window, catching him on the lip. He said he got out of the car to stop Mr Morris from running away and claimed he then fell on the ground.
Another taxi driver, Mr Martin McHugh said he was the fourth taxi down in the rank and could see Mr Morris talking through the taxi window. He said he saw the door swing open and the taxi driver got out and hit Mr Morris three or four times.
Under questioning from Mr Aiden Crowley, solicitor for Mr Morris, Mr Agboerha denied that he assaulted Mr Morris and claimed he got his injuries when he fell to the ground. When asked why would Mr McHugh lie to the court, Mr Agboerha said that he has abused the taxi drivers from Africa and has told them to go back to their own country.
Taxi driver, John Offiah told the court he was directly behind Mr Agboerha’s taxi and saw Mr Morris bang it and hit the driver. He said that Mr Agboerha held him against the wall, but Mr Morris fell and hit his head on the kerb. He said he was not bleeding before hitting his head on the kerb.
Another taxi driver, Jonathan Okunzuwa said he was friends with both men and he claimed that Mr Morris phoned him later that day because he could not remember anything about the incident. However, Mr Morris claimed he phoned him because he wanted to know why Mr Agboerha had ‘lost the plot’.
Under questioning from Mr Myles Gilvarry, solicitor for Mr Agboerha, Mr Morris denied that he had no recollection of what happened and denied he was ‘sparing for a fight’ and that he went to the taxi to abuse Mr Agboerha.
Garda Caoimhe Walsh who investigated the incident said that Mr Morris had a cut to the head when she arrived at the scene but at the time neither men complained of being assaulted.
CCTV was shown to Judge Mary Devins but was not conclusive and she adjourned her decision until February 2 to allow her to consider all the evidence.