A 35-year-old man this week admitted obstructing police and two counts of common assault after he and his wife fought with another couple over a taxi.

Padraig Eoin O’Sullivan will be sentenced on September 8 after a probation report has been completed.

A previous charge of assaulting a police officer, which Mr O’Sullivan had denied, was replaced with the obstructing police charge, while one of threatening behaviour was withdrawn.

His wife, Jenna O’Sullivan, aged 41, has previously pleaded guilty to two counts of common assaults and is already due to be sentenced on the same date.

On August 6 the Manx Independent reported a previous hearing.

complainants

A court then heard that the two complainants in the case, a man and a woman, got into a taxi in Victoria Street in Douglas on July 5. However, the man then got out again to go to a nearby cash machine after finding the cab did not have a card machine.

While he was at the machine the O’Sullivans tried to get into the taxi only to be told it was taken.

Padraig O’Sullivan, who lives in Spring Valley Road, Douglas, then told the man, who had returned: ’No it’s not, we’re taking it, we’ll drag you out of it.’

Jenna O’Sullivan was then said to have struck the woman and both O’Sullivans were said to have started swinging punches at the other couple for more than a minute.

The taxi was unable to leave as the door was being held open.

Police arrived while the fracas was still going on and the O’Sullivans were manhandled out of the taxi.

When interviewed Mr O’Sullivan said he had been in 1886 bar and had drunk 10 to 12 pints of lager but that he did not consider that a lot as he could drink as many as 20.

He told police he had a vague memory of walking to the taxi rank but no recollection of the incident.

Defence advocate Ian Kermode entered a basis of plea on behalf of his client in which O’Sullivan admitted becoming involved in an altercation, claiming that he was trying to defend himself, but admitted throwing punches at the man and one punch at the woman.

Mr Kermode asked that a probation report be prepared and that O’Sullivan be sentenced on the same date as his wife. Bail was granted in the sum of £500 with a condition that he live at his home address and contact probation.