A jury 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 Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury had been deliberating for four hours before telling Judge Desmond Hogan that it was deadlocked following the six-day trial.
Mr Collins (44) of St Albans, Hertfordshire, England had pleaded not (NOT) guilty to assaulting 37-year-old Albanian national, Mr Adriatik Vodo, when he was refused entry at the stadium on June 3rd, 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," Mr Collins said.
Judge Hogan discharged the jury and thanked the ten 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 couldn't agree on a verdict.
He remanded Mr Collins on continuing bail for mention of the case again on January 13th next to ascertain if the Director of Public Prosecutions decides to press ahead with a new trial.