A car-wash owner who suffered serious injuries after being attacked by three men says he believes the assault was racially motivated.

Stanley Abayeneme (22) was washing a car at the rear of an industrial unit on the Blessington Road on the outskirts of Tallaght at around 6pm on Tuesday when he was set upon by three men who arrived at the premises.

Mr Abayeneme was apparently attacked with large tools and beaten about the head and body and left unconscious on the ground. Speaking from his bed at Tallaght Hospital, Mr Abayeneme, who is originally from Nigeria, told of the sequence of events that led to him fearing he would be killed.

"My car wash is beside another garage, and a customer I knew had a car in that garage," he said.

"While he was talking to the garage owner, three men came out into the yard where I work and one of them started urinating. I told him he could not do that and then he got really angry and started to racially abuse me.

"He was calling me a black monkey and saying I should f**k off back to where I came from. He was shouting abuse at me, saying we were taking jobs and food while we are here.

"Then two other men came out and they all attacked me.

"They beat me with the pole for washing the cars, and other tools too.

"They were beating me and beating me. The owner of the garage was trying to get them to stop. He was trying to stand between them and me. If it wasn't for him I don't know what would have happened," added Mr Abayeneme.

Neighbours told the Irish Independent how they were alerted to a commotion at the scene when they heard shouting.

"I could hear urgent shouting, and the man was screaming. I knew it was a fight by the sounds of it," said one neighbour who was at the scene.

"I could not see what was happening but then I came out and saw the man lying rigid on the ground with a terrified look in his eyes," they added.

"I'll never forget it. It's like he was having a seizure and he was having difficulty breathing," they explained.

Gardaí and the emergency services arrived at the scene.

Mr Abayeneme said at some point he passed out and does not remember being taken to hospital.

"The only thing I remember is waking up here in the hospital," he said.

"I am weak all over. The doctors say I am lucky to be alive."

Gardaí in Tallaght are investigating the attack.

Irish Independent