Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward after a young Irish amateur boxer suffered serious stab injuries to his face following an altercation in Belfast city centre.
Caoimhín Hynes from Belfast’s Holy Trinity club was “assaulted by a number of males wearing tracksuits” early on Monday morning, according to the PSNI. He was attacked while on a night out with his girlfriend.
The 20-year-old was cut on his cheek, sustaining a 4in-5in wound. He was treated for his injuries in the Ulster Hospital in Belfast.
Mr Hynes said he was fortunate to have survived the assault. In a Facebook post, he wrote, “I am blessed! Very lucky guy to still be alive – any lower and things could have been a lot different. What a long day this has been, very lucky to have unreal friends, family and definitely girlfriend.”
Mr Hynes was one of a group of boxers who last week travelled to Paris, where he won his three fights.
The Belfast-born former world champion Carl Frampton offered his support. "Disgraceful and disgusting," he said of the attack. "Hope he'll be back to doing what he does best soon."
‘Great personality’
The coach of Holy Trinity boxing club, Michael Hawkins, said Mr Hynes had two operations at the hospital. "They have patched up the wound which is 4½ or 5 inches long. It is just an inch or so away from the main artery," he told the BBC.
“He is not too bad. It is just a shock to the system. He went out for a night . . . he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t do anything else. He is a good lad. All the kids look up to him in the club. He has a great personality,” he added.
PSNI Det Insp Paul Rowland urged anyone who was in or close to the scene of the attack at Donegall Place in central Belfast and had information to bring it to the police.
