Racial abuse in the form of monkey grunts and shouts of “monkey” accompanied by physical abuse have been directed at a Nigerian national with a car-valeting business, the High Court has heard.
Ms Justice Eileen Roberts heard allegations of how a motor mechanic and neighbouring Lithuanian businessman, Vilmantas Zutkis, was responsible for “rabid racism” against Stanley Abayeneme, who owns the car-cleaning business.
Barrister Femi Daniyan told Ms Justice Roberts on Tuesday Mr Abayeneme was seeking a restraining order against Mr Zutkis, regarding the alleged racism, and against John McLaughlin, the landlord to both, regarding Mr McLaughlin’s alleged blocking of Mr Abayeneme’s valeting unit by placing a 40ft-long steel container in front of it.
Although interim restraints were sought by Mr Abayeneme in the absence of Mr Zutkis and Mr McLoughlin, of Laurel Walk, Bandon, Co Cork, Ms Justice Roberts granted only an order for short service of proceedings against both defendants.
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Mr Abayeneme told the judge in written evidence he rented unit two at Greenhills Bungalows, Blessington Road, Tallaght, Co Dublin, from Mr McLoughlin and he said Mr Zutkis rented the adjoining unit one for his car-servicing business.
“I have always been subjected to racial and physical violence [by Mr Zutkis] and have made a number of complaints to gardaí and the landlord with nothing done by either of the two,” Mr Abayeneme stated.
He said Mr Zutkis’s conduct was aggressive and obstructive and included direct racial abuse of him in front of his customers, threats to his employee and interference to footfall with his business.
“[Mr Zutkis] will come to my unit and racially abuse me and my worker, John Onuigbo Obinna, calling us monkeys, placing bananas in front of our shop and threatening [us] with deportation back to Nigeria in a container,” Mr Abayeneme stated.
Although Mr Zutkis had claimed not to have any English, he would make racist slurs at every opportunity trying to provoke a reaction, Mr Abayeneme said.
He had suffered daily stress, reputational damage and financial loss and, having reported him to their landlord, Mr McLoughlin had failed to intervene, but had admitted to placing the container in an attempt to get him out and instructing him to vacate the unit, he said.
He said Mr Zutkis, by parking cars, and Mr McLoughlin, by placing the container, were obstructing access to and even the view of his unit. Last week his unit had been burgled and tyres, tools and cash worth €200,000 had been taken.
Counsel opened correspondence between Kevin Tunney Solicitors, for Mr Abayeneme, and Dillon Eustace, for Mr McLoughlin, of the Remcoll Group, in which it was alleged Mr Abeyeneme was responsible for anti-social behaviour.
Dillon Eustace stated in a letter of August 5th that Mr McLoughlin had video evidence of Mr Abayeneme attacking Mr Zutkis with a stick and visibly breaking it on his leg, throwing a ladder at Mr Zutkis and damaging property by spray-painting windows.
Ms Justice Roberts heard Mr Abayeneme had made seven complaints to gardaí at Tallaght, quoting Pulse numbers, and instead of any action having been taken by them on his behalf, he was now facing prosecution for the alleged breaking of two window panes in Mr Zutkis’s unit.
The judge directed that notification of short service of the application for injunctions be made to Mr Zutkis and Mr McLoughlin. The matter is due back before the court on Friday.
