Italian man left paralysed as a teen after unprovoked attack in Dublin has died

"Guido was just 17 when he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time during his first-ever trip to Ireland back in 1999. The Turin native, who had never been abroad before, was mindlessly struck over the head with a bottle in Dublin's Fairview Park - and never recovered from his injuries. However, despite being paralysed from the neck down and requiring round-the-clock care, Guido maintained a deep affection for Ireland, and even dreamed of moving over here permanently."

"He had a terrible life after he was attacked in Dublin. His injuries were horrific, and he suffered badly with his mental health. He lost his mother a few years ago, and didn't have any family members left to support him, so he was being looked after in a nursing home in Turin. It's amazing, though, that he never lost his love for Ireland. He dreamed of moving over here to live, and that was what kept him going."

"In 2019, he returned to Ireland on a visit and was given a special reception by then President Michael D Higgins at Áras an Úachtaráin. But since then the wheelchair-bound 43-year-old's health rapidly deteriorated, and along with his physical complications, he battled severe depression. In November last year he was hospitalised after suffering a cardiac arrest, and he had remained in hospital up to his death yesterday following a second cardiac arrest."

Guido was 17 when he was struck over the head with a bottle during a visit to Dublin in 1999 and never recovered from the injuries. He became paralysed from the neck down and required round-the-clock care. He retained a deep affection for Ireland and visited in 2019, receiving a special reception by President Michael D Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin. His health declined over subsequent years, complicated by severe depression, and he suffered two cardiac arrests, remaining hospitalized until his death. A long-time friend said he had a terrible life after the attack and that the Irish public supported him with cards. The assailant, James Osbourne, was jailed in 2001 and released in 2008.

Read at Irish Independent