Gardai investigating the stabbing of a 46-year-old English man, Mr David Richardson, in Dublin's city centre last night described the attack as both frenzied and racially motivated. The man was critically ill in hospital last night.
A gang of youths, at least one armed with a large knife, attacked the man, who was walking with his wife, who is black, and son along Pearse Street at 1.20 a.m. yesterday. According to witnesses, the gang of six or seven men approached the family, shouting: "Niggers out. Niggers out" and assaulted the couple's 24-year-old son when he remonstrated with them.
A man arrested under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act is expected to be charged this morning with assault and possession of a proscribed weapon.
Mr Richardson from Bristol, was repeatedly stabbed in the chest, shoulder and neck. He also suffered wounds to his arms as he tried to fend off the blows.
Mr Richardson suffered serious blood loss and lost consciousness. He was taken to St James's Hospital, where he underwent prolonged surgery. He was on a life-support machine in the intensive care unit.
Mr Richardson and his wife Laverna were in Dublin to celebrate their son's 24th birthday at the weekend and were staying at his apartment in Ringsend. Their son Christian has been working in Dublin for some time.
The couple, who were also celebrating their wedding anniversary and their son had been in the city centre for a meal and were walking home along Pearse Street towards Ringsend. They had been unable to get a taxi and had decided to walk the mile or so to the apartment.
They were accosted by the youths, some of whom had been hanging around a chip shop in Pearse Street. The attack happened in front of the IDA Enterprise Centre, near the Grand Canal Basin.
Early yesterday morning, detectives from Pearse Street Garda station raided a number of houses in the Pearse St and Ringsend areas and recovered bloodstained clothing.
Two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, were arrested during the morning and in the afternoon, a 29-year-old man was also arrested. All three were questioned under the Criminal Justice Act.
One of the teenagers was released shortly before 11 p.m. and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, according to gardai. The other two men were detained over night. One will be charged this morning with assault, according to gardai.
DNA tests were being carried out on clothing recovered during yesterday's searches and the results of these tests are likely to take some weeks to complete.
According to sources close to the investigation, it is believed the gang is made up mostly of local youths and they have been responsible for disturbances and attacks in the area in recent months.
The Garda do not have records of racially motivated attacks and no precise information is available about the number of attacks here on black people or of people of foreign origin. However, the Refugee Council says it has strong anecdotal evidence of increasing racist violence in Dublin.
In April a group of around 70 African asylum-seekers and refugees protested in Dublin city centre after a Nigerian teenager was attacked and left with head injuries in the north inner city.
The injured asylum-seeker, Mr Paul Abayomi (16), was attacked in Summerhill on April 18th. Mr Abayomi said: "I felt a bang on the head. They were hitting me and shouting `Nigger' . . . I just ran out and some people called an ambulance."