Dublin stabbings hero vows to help family of gravely injured child ‘in any way I can’
‘It is my intention to support them the way you have all supported me’
Delivery driver who disrupted attack on child is ‘praying for her’
Brazilian Deliveroo rider Caio Benicio has offered to “assist in any way I can,” a gravely injured child’s family after he was gifted €364,000 from the public, after he intervened to save the children who were attacked by a man with a knife on a Dublin street last week.
Mr Benicio (43) thanked the Irish public via the GoFundMe appeal set up by a member of the public, where the incredible sum was raised in the wake of the Parnell Square stabbings in Dublin last week.
Mr Benicio said: “Thank you so much to everyone who has donated over the last few days. It has been so overwhelming seeing all of your support and I am so grateful.
“I wanted to share with you all that I have been in contact with the family of the little girl and I have offered to assist them in any way I can. They have yet to accept this offer, but it is my intention to support them the way you have all supported me.”
Caio Benicio, a Deliveroo driver, at the scene in Dublin city centre after he witnessed the incident on Parnell Square East (Brian Lawless/PA)
The stabbing attack that rocked the capital and entire country on Thursday, left the five-year-old schoolgirl gravely ill in hospital.
Two other young children were also hurt along with their teacher, outside their Parnell Square school.
Those two children have been released from hospital but the little girl still receiving treatment, is seriously ill.
The children’s teacher, in her 30s, was also seriously injured in hospital after the knife attack by a 49-year-old man.
The GoFundMe has seen 34,000 donations pouring in to thank the Deliveroo driver for his bravery, after he hit the attacker with his scooter helmet. Others also fought to prevent the attacker continuing any further assault.
Gardaí have already ruled out a terror related motive and are holding the Algerian-born man, a naturalised Irish citizen, who has lived in Ireland for 20 years. He also remained in hospital in the city.
The teacher had used her body as a human shield to protect the children and as a result, she received serious injuries.
Despite attempts by Mr Benicio, a father-of-two, and others at the scene, the five-year-old girl suffered a stab wound to the neck.
Nurse Leo Ralph Villia Mayor, told Up Front With Katie Hannon on RTÉ One on Monday night how he had been on his way to graduate, when he saw the injured child lying on the ground.
Mr Villia Mayor gave medical attention to the child while he waited on an ambulance to attend the scene.
He told Ms Hannon: “I was asking myself, I could have probably done more. “But my counsellor said it’s normal to question ourselves in these times… It’s traumatising.
“There’s only one thing that was going on in my head, it was just about the life of the child. I was just wishing I hoped the child survived, that’s the only wish I wanted on that day.”
