A VULNERABLE Antrim Road man has told how we was stabbed 14 times after being knocked unconscious by a man he invited into his home.
50-year-old Gerard Corrigan lay bleeding for a number of hours before being discovered by a friend last Wednesday.
The perpetrator, who is known to Mr Corrigan, remains at large. However, police later arrested a woman who is believed to have been present during the stabbing. Mr Corrigan received 46 stitches following the unprovoked attack and now says he was afraid to stay in his home.
“He came to my door and told me that he knew me and that he was at a party with me before, and asked if he could come in, so I said, ‘No problem,’” Gerard explained.
“He poured himself a beer and pulled out a knife out. I said, ‘What the f**ck are you doing with a knife?’ and his girl tried to calm him down.
“He hit me over the head with a vodka bottle and I blacked out. I didn’t know I had been stabbed until my friend came down and asked what was on my jumper. I took it off and I was full of puncture wounds.”
Gerard added: “I’m afraid here by myself. I’m going to try to get moved out.”
Gerard’s friend, Fra Ferguson, who discovered him following the shocking stabbing, said: “When I saw him I automatically thought he had fallen, but then I saw the big gash on his neck. When I asked what happened he started getting emotional and told me someone had pulled a knife on him. I was trying to get as much information out of him as possible. He stood up and I noticed two big damp patches on him. I saw the gashes and asked him to take off his jumper. It broke my heart when I saw what they did to him. He’s a vulnerable guy and they just took advantage of him. He brought them in and they broke that trust. I’m going to stay with him for a few days to make sure he’s okay.”
A police spokesperson said: “At 2pm yesterday afternoon police received a report from a male stating that his friend had been stabbed a flat on the Antrim Road in North Belfast. Officers responded and a man was taken to hospital for treatment to non-life-threatening injuries.
“A short time earlier police were made aware that two individuals had been overheard discussing a stabbing which had allegedly taken place in the Oldpark area. Responding officers made a number of enquiries and identified a female whom they believed may have been one of two people involved.
“The stabbing incident itself was then reported while police were still in the area and a number of the same officers responded to the Antrim Road address.
“The female was subsequently arrested and remains in custody at present.”