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A deliveryman who was brutally assaulted while working in Dublin has spoken out that his attackers were never caught and that he hopes justice will be served for the late Thiago Cortés.
Francisco Teruliano de Oliviera Neto, known as ‘Neto’, was attacked by a group of 11 men at Tolka Valley Park in Finglas last year while working for Deliveroo.
He suffered a broken nose and head injuries after being hit from the back with a baseball bat.
Neto flew home to Brazil for surgery after friends campaigned to raise € 7,000 to cover his flights and treatment. The 33-year-old has since returned to work as a delivery driver in Ireland and said the Brazilian community was “devastated” by the tragic death of Cortés, who died after a hit-and-run accident this week.
“We are very saddened by what happened,” Neto told the Irish Independent.
“Thiago was a co-star and I always saw him on the street, struggling to have a better life. It’s not easy to see a co-worker lose his life like this.
“To date there has been no answer about what happened in my case. I lost everything I had on me: my phone, my wallet, everything. I received a lot of blows to the head.
“I decided to go back to working as a delivery person because life has to go on and I have goals in life that I want to achieve.
“I still like Ireland regardless of what happened.
“Unfortunately, assaults on food delivery drivers have become frequent in Ireland and, in addition to assaults, there are thefts of motorcycles and bicycles.”
Neto had been working for Deliveroo for five months when the attack occurred on February 17, 2019.
He now works for various companies, including Uber Eats, Just Eat, and Deliveroo.
“I like to do this job and try to do it in the best possible way,” he said.
While the people who injured him have not been detained, Neto hopes those involved in the fatal hit-and-run in Dublin this week will be caught.
Thiago Cortes (28) died at Mater Hospital after being hit by a car on North Wall Quay around 10:30 pm Monday.
The driver and three passengers of the vehicle fled the scene. Gardaí has launched an investigation and is working to identify those involved.
Deliveroo described it as a “tragedy and terrible loss” and said: “We will do everything we can to ensure that the rider’s family is supported during this difficult time.”
Following a series of attacks on drivers in the capital last year, the company wrote to employees to warn them not to deliver to certain areas if they did not feel safe.
Neto said that while he was happy to get back to work, the fear of an attack in the future remained.
“I know dozens of people who have been beaten and robbed while simply doing their job as delivery men. We hope that justice is served.”
Gardaí on Store Street continues to appeal for witnesses to come forward in Monday’s serious collision.
Anyone with information should contact the Store Street Garda Station on 01 6668000.
Irish independent
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