Vicious assault | 

‘Torture’ gang cut top off young man’s finger through the bone with bolt cutters

It happened at his home in the Barntown area of Co Wexford earlier this month.

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A young man had part of his finger cut off in a brutal assault in his home.

It is understood bolt cutters were used, and the victim, aged in his 20s, was held down by a number of other men.

He was also threatened and beaten during the assault, which has been described as “sustained and vicious”.

It happened at his home in the Barntown area of Co Wexford earlier this month.

“They cut the top of the finger off through the bone, which has obviously caused life-changing injuries,” a source said.

Gardaí are investigating whether the motive was personal rather than linked to organised crime.

They became aware of the incident after the victim went to Wexford General Hospital.

The man needed emergency surgery, and it is understood the missing part of his finger has not been reattached.

He has refused to make a formal complaint, but officers have identified a number of suspects.

The case is being investigated by gardaí based in Wexford town, and arrests are expected.

The suspects are believed to be heavily involved in the local drugs trade.

“This was a horrific ordeal for the injured party, who comes from a very decent family,” a source said.

“All the information is that he has got into a deeply personal dispute with what are clearly violent and dangerous individuals.”

A 19-year-old man from Coolock, Dublin, is serving three years and two months for his role in an assault in January 2020 in which another teenager had his finger cut off.

The attackers recorded the incident, in Artane, on video. They also hacked at the victim’s face with a machete.