'They were so grateful': Deliveroo driver meets parents of five-year-old stabbing victim
Deliveroo motorcycle driver Caio Benicio visited the parents of the child who is still in hospital in a critical condition after the stabbings in Parnell Square in Dublin last Thursday. Picture: Moya Nolan
A Deliveroo driver who intervened in a knife attack outside a Dublin school has said the parents of a five-year-old girl critically injured in the attack have thanked him for his help.
Three children and a creche worker suffered stab wounds after a man attacked them outside the Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Street in Dublin’s north inner city last Thursday lunchtime.
Caio Benicio, 43, a Brazilian who has been living in Ireland for a year, was one of a number of passers-by who tried to stop the attack. He wrestled the assailant to the ground while wielding his motorcycle helmet.
Three children, two girls aged 6 and 5, and a five-year-old boy as well as creche worker Leanne Flynn, who is in her 30s, were all stabbed.
Two children have since been discharged from hospital while Ms Flynn is in a serious but stable condition at the Mater hospital.
The five-year-old girl remains in a critical condition in CHI Temple Street where her family are keeping a vigil.
Mr Benico told the he met with the child’s parents on Monday night.
“I called to the hospital to see them,” he said. “The mother and father spoke to me, and they were so nice, they thanked me and they were so grateful.
“I really didn’t want the praise. I just worry for the child because she is very sick. I pray for her.
"I called to the hospital and the mother she was so grateful and the father also.
“She told me the little girl is fighting hard. I feel better after speaking with them."
The 43-year-old was one of a number of Deliveroo drivers who attended a seminar at Trinity College on Wednesday afternoon.
The seminar — Misbehaving for Deliveroo. How Couriers Compliant (Mis)behaviour Boosts Platform — was organised by Lorenzo Cini, lecturer in employment relations and HRM at Cork University Business School, UCC.
The seminar looked at the conditions Deliveroo cyclists are currently facing including violent assaults and low pay.
