‘He died after he was taken off life support due to brain damage’

‘ANIMALS’: LOCALS’ SHOCK AT HORRIFIC ASSAULT DAD’S HEARTBREAK AS SON DIES AFTER BRUTAL ATTACK

‘It’s so sad to come all this way to work and for this to happen’

THE HEARTBROKEN father of a young Croatian man who was beaten to death in Dublin has told how his son clung to life for four days before succumbing to the fatal brain injuries he sustained during the attack.

Construction manager Josip Štrok (31) and his close friend David Druzinac (28) were set up by a gang of four thugs who inflicted a savage attack on the pair in the Grange View Way area in Clondalkin shortly after 10pm on Saturday last week.

Informing a friend of the circumstances of his son’s death on social media, Josip’s heartbroken father Nedeljko, who has since travelled to Ireland to organise the repatriation of his son’s remains, said: “Josip was beaten on Saturday in Dublin.

“And yesterday (Wednesday) at 12.16, he died after he was taken off the apparatus (life support) due to brain damage.”

The fatal beating inflicted on Josip and horrific injuries sustained by his friend David have caused shock and revulsion among neighbours who went to their aid in the aftermath of the attack.

One woman who went to the men’s aid described the thugs who attacked them as ‘animals.’

“There was a lot of blood,” the woman told the Sunday World.

INJURIES

“The boy who died was unconscious on the grounds where the flowers are now. His injuries were very bad.

“His friend was sitting up and he tried to stand when we approached but he couldn’t.

“I think he had a broken nose and his face was full of blood. There was lots of blood.

“The people who did this were animals — less than animals to treat those two people like this.

“We tried to help … we called an ambulance. The fire truck came first and then two ambulances.”

The woman added: “It’s so sad to come all this way to work and for this to happen. Ireland is so dangerous now.”

Another neighbour who called 999 said she and her adult son had also called the emergency services.

“We were so shocked and upset yesterday when we heard the poor man had died,” the woman said. “It’s a terrible situation.”

Her son continued: “We didn’t see anything happen but we saw what had happened when we came out in the garden.

“To be honest, when we saw the person lying on the road, we thought he was dead.

“And then we saw the other person also covered in blood … and it turned out that was his friend.”

The neighbour pointed out that there is high quality CCTV covering the area where the attack took place from a number of properties around it.

“We just hope they catch the lads that did this,” he said.

According to Croatian media reports, Josip was “of the many young Croats who, unable to find it in their own country, looked for a better future abroad.”

They reported that the young man had initially travelled to Norway when he emigrated five years ago at the age of 26 before moving and gaining employment in Ireland.

“He left Podgora in Krapina five years ago when he was 26 years old,” one newspaper report stated.

COFFIN

“Five years later, he will return home in a coffin.”

Contacted on Facebook, David Druzinac, who survived the attack, said he did not wish to make any comment.

Ante Penava, a countryman who organised a GoFundMe to help with the cost of repatriating Josip’s remains said the family “have a lot of support from Croatians around Ireland and in his home country and they feel that.”

Gardai believe four males were involved in the vicious assault and have gathered “good quality” CCTV footage as part of the investigation to identify those involved.