A Kildare man was left with a broken jaw after being attacked and robbed by thugs in the capital last weekend.
David Browne, 21, was on his way home after a night out socialising with friends in Dublin city centre when he was set upon and attacked by a group of six men, who took his phone and threatened to stab him. The incident happened on the boardwalk at Bachelor's Walk at around 4am on Sunday, 22 January.
David, who identifies as gay, claims that he was "punched repeatedly" by the thugs who stole his phone and left him laying injured on the street. Taking to Instagram to share his terrifying ordeal, David wrote: "I was making my way home from a night out on the early hours of Sunday 22 January on Bachelor's Walk when a group of approximately six young adult males approached me and took my phone.
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"I tried to grab it back and I was punched repeatedly in the jaw. I tried to run and they kicked my face many times. They demanded the passcode for my phone at knifepoint as I lay on the ground," said David.
The thugs then fled and left David "covered in a pool of my own blood" and he managed to get up and make his way to Pearse Street Garda station. The Kildare man was in severe pain and could feel his jaw bone and teeth "swimming around” in his mouth following the attack.
David was then brought to hospital by an ambulance, where doctors discovered he had a broken jaw and he underwent emergency surgery at St James’ Hospital. Now David is on a liquid diet for the next six to eight weeks, but he feels like he was "one of the lucky ones" because he has no brain damage and can still communicate.
But as a gay man, David fears that other people who identify as gay may be attacked when out on the streets of the capital. David warned: "Dublin is not a safe place. Violence and homophobia are unfortunately a daily threat. Don't let your friends be alone at night and always travel in groups to your next destination."
A garda spokesman confirmed to Dublin Live that they are investigating the incident. A garda spokesman said: "Gardaí received report of an incident of robbery that occurred on the 22nd of January 2023 on Bachelor’s Walk, Dublin 1.
"One man aged in his 20s was taken to St James’s Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries sustained during this incident. No arrests have been made at this time and investigations are ongoing."
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