Criminal has half his ear sawn off over drugs ‘debt’

A CAREER criminal and crack cocaine addict had half his ear cut off and was stabbed twice in the chest in a shocking attack yesterday morning.

The brutal knife attack took place at the Whitefriar Gardens flats complex in south inner-city Dublin at around 9am. Sources say the victim, in his early 40s, was attacked by up to four men and it is believed he was held down while part of his ear was ‘sawn off’ with a blade.

He was also stabbed twice in the chest, and was last night understood to be in a serious but stable condition at St James’s Hospital in Dublin.

A source said: ‘It would remind you of that dreadful scene from the film Reservoir Dogs. To chop off part of someone’s ear, it’s barbaric.’

Gardai said they are probing the discovery of ‘what’s believed to be part of an ear’ on Whitefriar Street. Sources say the victim was attacked following an all-night party near the complex. While inquiries are at an early stage, sources have suggested he was targeted over a drug debt.

The victim was rushed to St James’s after witnesses heard his screams and found him outside a flat at Whitefriar Gardens. It is understood he was briefly spoken to by gardaí, but declined to make a statement naming his attackers – saying he just wants to ‘forget it happened’.

However, the ‘career criminal’ – whose numerous convictions include robbing shops at knifepoint – will be approached by gardaí again when he’s medically fit to be interviewed.

This follows an unrelated but similarly shocking incident in another inner-city location on Friday night. In this case, a man was abducted, tied up and beaten by a gang of teenagers in the Basin Street flats area.

The victim, in his 20s, suffered injuries to his head, face and body.

In relation to yesterday’s stabbing, a source said: ‘The level of violence and brutality being used by criminals against each other... is becoming more violent and torturous.’