Fundraiser to buy hero Deliveroo driver a pint reaches £150,000

A fundraiser set up for the heroic Deliveroo driver, who stepped in to stop a stabbing attack in Dublin yesterday, is asking people to ‘donate the price of a pint of Guinness’.

The horrific attack, which took place on Parnell Square East, resulted in three young children and a woman being injured and taken to hospital.

A five-year-old girl injured in the knife attack remained in a critical condition in hospital on Friday, while the woman - who is in her 30s - was in a serious condition.

GoFundMe

The two other children, a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, suffered less serious injuries. That girl remained in hospital on Friday, but the boy has been discharged.

Brazilian national Caio Benicio, 43, was on the street when the attack took place and heroically stepped in, using his helmet to subdue the attacker.

Speaking to the Press Association, Benicio: “I slowed down my motorcycle to see what’s going on. I realised some man and woman and a little girl [were] involved.”

He went on: “When I saw the knife, I stopped my bike and I just acted by instinct.”

Benicio said he took off his helmet and hit the man with it using ‘all [his] power’.

“I didn’t even know there was more kids that were [hurt] at that time,” he said.

“I thought it was just one girl but afterwards I [found] out there are more people, more kids.”

Benicio added: “I wish the family all the best. I pray for her to survive.

“I’m a parent myself, I have two kids and I know how hard it is.

PA

“I saw [parents] come to the school, desperate to see how their kids are, something you can’t even imagine, the pain. I wish them all the strength possible to carry on.”

A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the Brazilian has raised €187,909 (£163,133) - at the time of writing.

The fundraiser, set up by Paul Darcy, reads: “Deliveroo Driver Caio Benicio was on his motorbike when he saw a man with a knife attacking a young girl on Parnell Square East. Caio got off his bike, took off his helmet, and hit the attacker with it.

“The man's a hero and the least we can do is buy him a pint so I'm asking you to donate the price of a pint of Guinness in your local to Caio so that he knows the people of Dublin appreciate him.”

You can chip into the fundraiser here.