A young man suffered horrific hand injuries in a Dublin city centre attack as he walked to work.

Vítor Ortíz Cardoso (24), an Italian-Brazilian citizen living in Dublin since 2015, was stabbed in the hand and arm as he tried to defend himself and his wife from a group of youths who first asked him for a cigarette.

He had been walking towards his job about 10.30pm last Thursday when he was approached on Sean McDermott Street Lower.

Mr Cardoso was with his wife when the group approached him and the situation grew aggressive, according to his family.

One youth pushed Mr Cardoso, who then pushed him back to defend himself, but another youth then came at him with a knife.

His mother told the Irish Independent: “At that moment the other boy, who seems to be a little bit older than the first one who asked for the cigarette, went towards my son with a knife in his hand and began to deliver blows.

“Vítor then used his hands in front of his body so that he would not be hit in vital regions, he tried to defend himself against what, in his head at that moment, would end in tragedy.

“In this confrontation, he had his left arm cut, his thumb, and his left hand that he used the most as a kind of shield to try to defend himself against the blows of the knife.”

With his left hand bleeding heavily, and the other side of the arm also injured, Mr Cardoso could not see his wife, who had instinctively gone after the youths who had by this stage taken Mr Cardoso’s backpack.

They found the backpack and went to nearby Store Street garda station for help.

An ambulance was called, and Mr Cardoso was taken initially to the Mater Hospital for treatment.

He later went to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown.

Gardaí have confirmed that a full investigation has been launched into the attack, and CCTV footage is being examined as part of that.

Mr Cardoso’s family and gardaí are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.

His family said it could have become a fatality when a knife was used so violently. “It would have destroyed us forever,” they said.

He is now being supported by his brother and his wife.

Mr Cardoso’s mother said she had already lost one son to a murder.

“I have already had one of my sons cowardly murdered here in Brazil. Yes, there are crazy people here, there and everywhere.

“That incident happened on Mother’s Day in 2017,” she added.

“I did not give up on humankind since then, because I cannot be selfish.

“I have four other children and so many grandchildren left.

“Life will take charge of the boy who took the life of my boy. Let’s go to the police until they hear us.

“Let’s go public. Let’s go after justice, no less.”