A woman who works in Dublin city centre says she wants to "get out of Dublin" after she rushed to the aid of a man who was viciously stabbed moments earlier.
Gardai confirmed this evening that a man in his late 20s was stabbed a number of times and added they have launched a witness appeal. He was taken to hospital by ambulance where his condition is described as stable.
The woman was nearby when she saw the aftermath of the frenzied attack. "We saw him sitting out there with blood pouring out of him, so I went over and asked what happened," she told Dublin Live.
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"His mate said somebody had jumped him from the back, stabbed him, said ‘give us the money’. I gave him some towels." Gardai also said no arrests have been made.
The woman said she was "shocked" to see an attack so blatant occur at a busy hour in the city centre. But she added that the area "has gotten so bad" with anti-social behaviour in recent years - to the extent that she now refuses to do the 20 minute walk from work to her home in the Docklands once it hits 6pm.
"I’m shocked to see it, in broad daylight," she said. "I want to get out of here, it’s getting worse and worse.
"I’ve been working here for 11 years, and this street has gotten so bad. I used to walk home at 11 or 12 o’clock at night, not a fear. Now if I leave here after 6, I’m not walking home, I get my husband to come and pick me up, that’s how bad it is.
"I’ve been all over Europe, and I’ve never seen a place as bad as Dublin, in terms of the filth on the street, the homelessness, the Government. The amount of taxes we’re all paying, and nothing is being done, so many people we speak to agree, it’s shocking and sad.
"Every single day there’s something, if it’s not a drug addict overdosing or us walking in human poo outside our front door, or someone selling drugs or prostitution outside our front door, all over Europe I’ve seen things but I have not encountered anything as bad as Dublin."
She also claimed that a tourist she met in her job cut her ten-day trip to Dublin short on day three, despite the large expense, because of the shocking scenes she had witnessed in her short time in the city. She said: "Even when we speak to our customers, we had a tourist in here and she said ‘I’m cutting my trip short, all I’m seeing is drugs everywhere’.
"She came here for ten days with her twins, and this was her third day. She had encountered people injecting themselves on the train, and she said she decided that they were going home, she paid extra for tickets to go home."
The woman concluded by saying that she hoped the victim was doing okay - and that she didn't want to work in Dublin any more. "The Government needs to do something now, because I’ll be honest, I don’t want to work here, I’ve had it," she said.
"This was in broad daylight, someone getting stabbed, I’m still shaking, it was right in front of my eyes."
A garda spokesman confirmed the stabbing took place and that a man in his late 20s was taken to hospital He said: "Shortly before 1pm today, Thursday, 26th January 2023, Gardaí and Emergency Services attended at Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, following reports of an assault.
"A man in his late 20s was treated at the scene for apparent stab wounds and removed by Ambulance to the Mater Hospital. His condition is understood to be stable.
"An Examination of the scene has been carried out, local enquires are ongoing and no arrests have been made at this time. Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to come forward and for those with camera footage from the area at the time to make it available to them."
Anyone with information is asked to contact Store Street Garda Station 01 666 8000 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.
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