Student attack victim’s condition deteriorates

THE condition of the Italian student brutally attacked while playing football in a Dublin park almost four years ago has deteriorated.

Guido Nasi, who came to Ireland to study English, was left almost totally paralysed from the neck down.

It was the worst brutal attack on a tourist in this country.

Over the years Bernadette Kelly of Victim Support has been in regular contact with Guido, the only child of Simonetta, a single mother from Turin.

Bernadette, who attended yesterday’s launch of the “Safety Tips for Tourists” guide in the Dublin Writers’ Museum, said Guido was now very depressed after suffering a further setback in his condition.

Launching the guide, Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue said Ireland is one of only two countries in the world that has a dedicated Tourist Victim Support service, now 10 years in existence. While there have been isolated horrific incidents involving tourists, Ireland was still a very safe place to visit.

Tourist Victim Support pointed out that it experienced a 40% drop in referrals over the first three months of this year.

Last year, more than 80% of tourists who became victims of crime continued with their holiday plans after receiving help from Tourist Victim Support.