A Dublin man who was beaten in a homophobic attack has opened up about the horrific abuse he has received since speaking about the assault.
Marc Power was injured after by a gang after he was lured to a cinema car park by a fake online dating profile.
He was taken to hospital after the incident outside the Odeon cinema in Coolock last Tuesday, October 15.
Marc uploaded images of the injuries to his on Facebook the following day.
And while most of the messages he has received have been supportive, he said some people told him he's to blame for the attack.
He said: "People have been very supportive. My family, my friends and just members of the public.
"One or two kind of basically tried to say that I was responsible for my situation."
He told the Star: "They are just abusive. We could say that ourselves if we walk out the door and get hit over the head with a bottle, well we brought that on ourselves for walking out the door.
"But that's not really logic is it? We're all responsible for our own situations, but I'm not responsible for somebody else's actions."
Marc had arranged to meet someone he was messaging through the Grindr App at the cinema on the Malahide Road, but was instead met by a gang carrying weapons.
Marc said around eight teenagers swarmed his car and pulled the door open before attacking him with a hammer
Gardai confirmed they are investigating the assault, but no arrests have yet been made.
A spokesman said: "Gardaí are investigating an assault that took place on Tuesday 15th October at approximately 10:30pm near the Malahide Road in Coolock.
"A male (early 50s) received non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Beaumont Hospital for treatment.
"No arrests have been made. Investigations are ongoing."
