Gardaí appeal to find man’s ear severed during attack
The 21-year-old man was walking along a Cork city centre street in the early hours of Sunday morning with three friends when one of them became involved in an argument with two other men.
The victim tried to calm the situation but he was attacked by the men, one of whom bit off most of his ear.
The injured man, who is believed to be from the Blarney area, was attacked on Paul Street. He was treated at the Mercy Hospital, before being transferred to Cork University Hospital for further surgery.
Gardaí have been unable to find the ear and have now appealed for members of the public who may come across the severed ear in the city centre to contact them immediately.
A senior garda spokesman last night issued a description of the two attackers.
One is described as being in his early 20s, and about 5ft 7ins tall.
“He had a strong Cork accent and dark hair. He was wearing a white tracksuit top and black tracksuit pants,” the spokesman said.
The second man was also in his early 20s and approximately 6ft 1in tall. He had short brown hair and was wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans.
Gardaí are also looking at CCTV footage from the area in an effort to identify the attackers.
Dr Chris Luke, an A&E consultant, said the chances of being able to reattach the man’s ear were extremely unlikely because of the timeframe.
“A&E departments and plastic surgeons would be familiar with this kind of thing,” Dr Luke said.
But he said to successfully reattach the ear at this stage it would have to be in cool moist conditions, so as to preserve the skin.
* Anybody with information is asked to contact Anglesea Street Garda station at (021) 4522000.
