Taxi driver involved in shouting match before the court

A black taxi driver claimed a white taxi driver told him to "f**k off back to his own country" when both men began to argue over a place in the queue at a busy taxi rank in Galway city, Galway District Court heard on Monday. Timothy Ogunrinde, aged 38, 148 Tur Uisce, Doughiska, Galway, denied he had engaged in insulting words or behaviour that were likely to lead to a breach of the peace at Eyre Square, Galway, at 2.35am on 1 March last.

Garda Paul McNulty said he could hear Ogunrinde shouting "F**k you, f**k you" at another taxi driver as both men stood beside a taxi in the taxi rank and he asked him to stop. He said Ogunrinde kept shouting abuse and he had to arrest him and have his taxi moved in off the road.

Ogunrinde told Judge Mary Fahy that another taxi driver, who had tried to jump the queue, had told him to "f**k off back to his own country," and he admitted telling the taxi driver to "f**k off" too. Inspector Ernie White told Ogunrinde he had skipped the queue and that had caused the argument.

Judge Fahy told Ogunrinde that if he had felt discriminated against he should have made a complaint to the Gardaí instead of shouting abuse on the street. Seeing that Ogunrinde was getting agitated before the court, Judge Fahy said he was very aggressive in court and she would not like to see him in Eyre Square (in that mood).

Imposing a €500 on him for breaching the peace, Judge Fahy told Ogunrinde his behaviour on the night was totally unacceptable, especially as he was someone who carried the public in his taxi. "If you have problems, there are ways to deal with them, but not like this," she told the accused, who left the courtroom arguing with three Gardai