Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
A FORMER BLACKROCK college rugby player who beat up and robbed a taxi driver to avoid paying a fare has been jailed for nine months.
In the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today, Judge Catherine Murphy said she was jailing Buti Sashi (20) with “great reluctance” after he failed to engage fully with probation and restorative justice services and failed a drugs test.
Sashi of Tyrconnell Grove, Inchicore, Dublin pleaded guilty to the robbery of Joseph Saji at St Michael’s Estate, Inchicore on the night of 23 August, 2014.
Sashi was caught because he left his passport behind in the taxi. He went to gardaí shortly after the assault and reported his passport as lost.
Garda Mark Costello previously told the court that Sashi flagged down the taxi on the Naas Road and he got into the front passenger seat. Another man with Sashi got into the back seat.
They told the driver to take them to St Michael’s estate, which Garda Costello described as a derelict site with no CCTV cameras.
Once there, the other man put his arm around the driver’s neck and Sashi started hitting him. Sashi then sat up on the driver while the men robbed his iPhone, SatNav device and €220 in cash.
Shortly after getting out of the car Sashi realised he had left his passport, mobile phone and a necklace in the footwell of the taxi.
He went back to the car but the driver had locked the doors. Sashi later reported his passport as lost in a garda station.
After his arrest later for the robbery, Sashi told gardaí that he didn’t know how his property had ended up in the taxi.
The driver suffered tenderness and swelling as a result of the attack. None of the stolen items were recovered and he was no longer happy to pick up passengers on the street, which had resulted in a loss of income, the court heard.
Fiona Pecker BL, defending, previously told the court that her client was drunk on the night. She said he claimed not to know the other man but that this man had suggested that they both “do a runner” on a taxi as Sashi had no money to get home after a night out.
She said he became involved with Leinster rugby at the age of 14 and played with the under-15 team. He went on to play for Blackrock, Liberty Saints and Guinness rugby FC.
Sashi was born in Nigeria but came to Ireland at the age of eight. His mother, who supported her son in court, was extremely shocked and appalled at his actions, the court previously heard.
Sentencing him to nine months’ imprisonment, Judge Murphy said Sashi had been given “every opportunity” by the court to improve his situation.
She said he had failed to provide evidence that he completed a course at Rathmines College and that an employer reference he supplied from a valet car parking company was an “insult to the court”.
The reference was not signed, had no letterhead and “could have been prepared by a child of 15”, the judge said.
The court heard Sashi attended only four out of seven probation service conferences and failed to complete an anger awareness course as part of the restorative justice programme. He failed to provide any compensation to his victim and he also tested positive for cocaine and speed.
Sashi apologised to the court, telling Judge Murphy he was “really sorry”.
“I know you’ve given me so many chances,” he said. He was an “idiot” to take drugs, he added.
Judge Murphy said she hoped Sashi would use his time in custody constructively and make a concerted effort to turn his life around upon release.
“You’ve got too much potential and too much ability to waste any more time in custody,” she said.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
This is a win for Scottish Independence, the middle ground voters hate being told what to do by London. Union of equals my backside
@TheCraftyCulchie: too right. Now the undecided will want out. And back to the EU
@TheCraftyCulchie: Brussels should have told the UK they hold a veto against them leaving the EU
A foreign court says you can’t vote for independence, hahaha give over.
On the contrary, this ruling proves that Scotland is not a voluntary partner within the UK. That card will be valuable to the SNP.
I’ve never been able to enjoy to Flower of Scotland since the voted to remain part of the Union last time. Or Braveheart for that matter. “You can take our lives but you’ll never take our freedom” Aye, unless we don’t want our freedom, in which case you can have that too.
@Gearóid MacEachaidh: when they voted last time, David Cameron said the the UK would veto any attempts by an independent Scotland to rejoin the EU. A lot of people may have felt that staying in the EU was worth staying in the UK.
Of course now that Scotland has been dragged out of the EU, the situation is different and a vote now might have a different outcome.
Looking like the Scottish people are chickening out again…if they really wanted self determination and democracy they would have the referendum regardless of Westminster
@Ronan Skelly: I was thinking that. They could organize something a bit like the recent vote in the separatist Ukrainian regions.
@Ronan Skelly: this will be used busy the SNP as propaganda. They were only too well aware that the UK courts would rule against giving Scotland a referendum. Now they’ll have one anyway and demand out of UK. Interesting the parallels between Ukraine and Russia …… Britain(what’s left) and Scotland then
Maybe they need to watch Braveheart a couple of more times to work up the guts to stand up to Westminster
@Ronan Skelly: Shame Braveheart is a Hollywood made up fiction.
Ya can always rely on the English to really make things as easily as ever, not one bit surprised look at the six countries carry on.
The Tories won’t win the next election. I doubt Labour will block a referendum.
@Steven Schulz: They will, Starmer has already ruled out a deal with the SNP. The irony is that having lost Scotland to the SNP, Labour will need to win back every constituency they can that they lost to the Tories over the past decade. These have plenty of voters who are pro-Brexit, anti-devolution, and most of all English. They’re unlikely to vote for a party that would break their beloved so-called United Kingdom.
So if Scottish independence is to come about at all, it’s unlikely to be via a Starmer-led Labour government.
@Steven Schulz: I dunno keir …looks like a Tory in disguise
UK : We want to leave the EU
EU : OK
Scotland: We want to leave the UK
London: Pi550ff
They should be careful of what some of them wish for. They could find themselves in a similar situation to the Republic, 5 million taxpayers, higher taxes, some services work well, some really inefficient & broken. Being part of a greater whole, 64 million, has many advantages. In any case, I think logic will prevail, again!
@Richard Ahern: they were part of a larger EU market of 550 million until they were dragged out of it by the little englanders
@Richard Ahern: Not too many Irish people would choose to join with England, Brexited and run by Eaton Tories. The Irish health system is better than the NHS, Irish people are better off than those in the so called UK. Scotland would do well to follow our path.
@Pat Perill: most people miss this point completely
@Richard Ahern: we have free access to tye eu and actually our economy is much healthier now that any of the UK
@A Well Known Comical Stereotype: Despite the best efforts of the Tories, they still have not undermined the NHS to the level of the Irish health system. I agree otherwise though. England is a much more unequal society than here even despite the housing emergency.
What is it the song says?
God help the poor scotch men, they’ll never be free.
Thank God we’re surrounded by water…
@Paul Jude Redmond: You overlook the fact that London retained part of our island, rather than acknowledging the democratic vote of the Irish people.
I’d say there will be an indyref in Wales within the next few years, particularly if they do well in Qatar.
Take the Devil to court and the court sits in Hell
@Des Dalton: British reckon Spain will block Scotland joining the EU because of the Catalan regions.
Interesting situation I think Scotland has alot going for them and would be a successful vibrant economy. They have stagnated and ignored under British rules. They feel a connection with Europe which went back many years , especially with France. I wonder would they be accepted back onto the EU or would Spain block as the British seem to think due to the Catalan regions.
have your say