Marc Power/FacebookA man in Dublin was left bleeding, bruised and fearing his life after an arranged date on Grindr date led to a premeditated homophobic group attack, who he says tried to kill him with a hammer.
Marc Power, from Coolock, north Dublin, arranged a date on Tuesday night with what he believes to have been a fake profile on the gay dating app Grindr.
He was attacked by a group of at least four young men while waiting in his car at the arranging meeting spot outside the Coolock Odeon.
According to a Gardaí spokesman the attack took place at around 10.30pm, who said officers are investing although no arrests have been made, the Irish Times reports.
The group of young men were carrying weapons including hammers and called him a ‘f*****t’ and a ‘pervert’, Marc said.
I've just been the victim of a premeditated homophobic attack here in Dublin. Went to meet someone off grindr. Was…
Posted by Marc Power on Tuesday, October 15, 2019
He posted to Facebook early Wednesday morning:
I’ve just been the victim of a premeditated homophobic attack here in Dublin. Went to meet someone off grindr. Was meet with a group of teenage boys with weapons. They tried to kill me with these weapons.
They were trying to hit me on the head with hammers. They didn’t manage but I’m in the emergency room in hospital with facial injuries and my car was destroyed. I’m ok but fucking angry.
Speaking to the Irish Times, Marc went into detail of his horrific ordeal:
They started calling me a f****t, calling me a paedophile, a pervert. They were all laughing, that was one of the scariest things about it. Right away they were trying to get me in the head.
I just was convinced they were trying to kill me . . . This was attempted murder.
He added:
I was terrified one of the lads would come around and open the car door on the other side.
They kept hitting me on the legs with whatever they had. I stuck my hand on the horn and left it there and started screaming for help.
They fled after bystanders began to notice the attack in which his car was battered and windscreen smashed.
Marc Power/FacebookMarc was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he received treatment to his head injuries, requiring several stitches.
He said Gardaí arrived at the scene 10 minutes after the attack and was given an appointment next week to give a full statement.
Marc added:
I have experienced homophobia before. I’ve had people making snide comments. It’s always been there in one form or another.
I’ve lived abroad most of my life and never had any problems. Back in Ireland I’ve had about three incidents. It makes me think about my own home city, and has it changed much. I’ve no issues with my sexuality; other people do.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues, and want to speak to someone in confidence contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 9am until 9pm Monday to Friday, and 10am until 6pm Saturday, or email [email protected]
Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.