Man whose sons were stabbed urges people not to visit Cork
Brian Butler intends to blitz Celtic FC supporters at their next homes games, as well as pubs and Irish clubs in Glasgow and Manchester with a leaflet urging people to be wary of visiting the city.
It features the badly-scared face of his son, Seán, who was slashed by an unknown attacker on St Patrick St on Oct 17, 2008. The then 22-year-old required eight stitches for a four-inch scar which is still very visible.
He may well have to undergo plastic surgery.
Seán’s older brother, Anthony, was also attacked by the same knife-wielding thug who stabbed him in the neck and arm.
Gardaí have never caught their attacker.
Mr Butler, a management consultant, said that people still look at Seán’s scared face and he sometimes gets turned away from clubs and pubs because of it, even though he was a totally innocent party.
He said that if Anthony had been stabbed in another part of his neck, he could have died.
Mr Butler, whose mother was born in Cork, said his sons had not received any compensation from the Irish State because the perpetrator had not been caught.
“I’m trying to make people aware of that. If this happens you’ll get no support. The family still comes to Ireland, but not to Cork,” Mr Butler said.
“Seán and Anthony arrived in the city at 3pm that day and were stabbed less than eight hours later on the main street of the city.
“Seán was left with a lifetime memory of the experience which he shares with everybody he meets.”
Lord Mayor Cllr John Buttimer said he realised the attack must have caused trauma for the family. But he insisted it was not typical of the attitude or behaviour of people here to British citizens.
“British people make up the largest non-Irish section of the population in Cork and Ireland and there is good integration and inclusion of British people in all sectors of Irish and Cork life,” he said.
