Former Nigerian Blackrock rugby player jailed for taxi driver assault in Ireland

20-year-old forner Nigerian rugby player who beat up and robbed a taxi driver to avoid paying a fare was on Monday July 11, sentenced to nine months in prison. Sachi Buti, who was born in Nigeria but came to Ireland at the age of eight, pleaded guilty to the robbery of Joseph Saji at St Michael’s Estate, Inchicore on the night of August 23rd, 2014. His mother, who supported her son in the Dublin Circuit Court said she was extremely shocked and appalled at his actions. Buti began his career 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 Club. Judge Catherine Murphy said she was jailing Sashi Buti with "great reluctance" after he failed to engage fully with probation and restorative justice services and failed a drugs test. Buti was caught because he left his passport behind in the taxi. He had flagged down the taxi on the Naas Road and got into the front passenger seat. Another man with Buti 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 Buti started hitting him. Buti 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, Buti realised he had left his passport, mobile phone and a necklace in the taxi. He went back to the car but the driver had locked the doors. Buti later reported his passport was lost. The driver suffered swelling as a result of the attack. None of the stolen items were recovered and he stopped picking up passengers on the street, which had resulted in a loss of income, the court heard. In his defence, Buti's lawyer Fiona Pecker told the court her client was drunk on the night. She said he claimed not to know the other man but that the other man had suggested that they both "do a runner" on a taxi as Buti had no money to get home after a night out.