A young Dublin woman is afraid to leave her house again after she was attacked by a knife-wielding thug on her walk to work.
21-year-old Kerrie Donohoe Molloy was leaving her estate in Tallaght when a man with his face covered approached her with a knife.
The thug tried to steal the receptionist's handbag and threatened her with the knife at around 8:15am.
She started screaming, and the thief quickly fled on a bike.
Kerrie told Dublin Live that she has not been able to leave her house since the horrific broad daylight attack.
She described the terrifying ordeal that happened just metres away from her family home in the Mac Uilliam area of Dublin 24.
Kerrie said: "I was walking up to get the Luas to work, I started my new job last Monday and I've been leaving at the same time every morning.
"I didn't get out of my estate. I just got a bit away from my apartment, and I just felt like a really aggressive pull on my handbag. I kind of just stumbled back because it was just really aggressive.
"I kind of thought that it was someone messing with me. You know the way sometimes, someone would pull on your bag?
"I turned around and there was this bloke with his hood up. His face was fully covered and he was wearing black and everything.
"I was just in pure shock. I just started screaming. I just didn't know how to react and he had a knife in his hand. He lifted it up and I got really scared.
"He had cut my bag open. He cut a strap off it and he just got my bag and ran. He got his bike and I ran home."
Thankfully, her parents were at home and were able to help her recover from the shock, and she was later told by a garda that her attacker had been arrested and had appeared in court.
But traumatised Kerrie keeps replaying the attack in her head.
She said: "I can’t sleep properly - every time I close my eyes it replays in my mind over and over again.
"When I found out he was arrested I felt the slightest bit of relief for a split second and then I remembered there are so many other people doing the same thing. I haven’t felt safe once since it happened.
"I can’t do anything by myself because I’m terrified. I’ve broken out in a stress rash at the thought of having to go to work alone tomorrow.
"I haven't left the house. I haven't walked anywhere. I went out with my Mam and we just went on a drive to get out of the house.
"I just didn't want to be alone. I have to go back to work tomorrow and to be quite honest, I'm terrified.
"I don't want to leave my house at all. I can't even go over to the shop. I'm terrified."
A garda spokesman said: "Gardaí investigating a robbery that occurred at approximately 8:20am, Friday 4th February 2022 in Mcuilliam Park, Tallaght, have arrested and charged a man.
"He appeared before the CCJ on Saturday 5th February 2022."
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