Jooda Akanbi gives defence evidence in murder trial

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Jooda Akanbi gave evidence in his defence at the Central Criminal Court on 21 April 2015, after the prosecution closed its case. The proceedings were reported on 21 April 2015.

Akanbi, 39, was charged with murdering 45-year-old Taiwo Jamani on 13 November 2013, the date Jamani died in Beaumont Hospital. He was also charged with intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Jamani on 10 October 2013. He pleaded not guilty to both charges. He said his actions were in self-defence.

The charges arose from a fight on Main Street, Swords, on 10 October 2013. The report said Jamani died from a severe traumatic brain injury.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt told the jury that the serious-harm count would be struck from its issue paper. He explained that the count had been included as a precaution in case there was an issue about causation of death, but there was now no such issue.

Akanbi said Jamani punched him and attacked him with a baseball bat. He said he took another bat, told Jamani to back off and raised his left hand to block Jamani’s bat. He agreed that he had struck Jamani over the head.

Under State cross-examination, Akanbi agreed he had lied to gardaí by saying Jamani had hit himself with his own bat after it struck Akanbi’s arm. He told prosecutor Denis Vaughan Buckley SC that this was what he had thought because it happened very fast. He denied losing his temper and said he feared for his life. The trial was continuing.