A former pupil of Dollar Academy is in a critical condition after a horrific attack on him by a gang in Kenya that resulted in him having his nose and fingers hacked off and undergoing eight hours of emergency surgery.
Mike Minihane (45), a security worker in Nairobi, was returning home after dinner with wife Christine and son Connor (5) when he was attacked by a group of five men wielding axes and an AK-47 rifle.
It is understood Mr Minihane (pictured) fought the men but in doing so had his nose hacked off and head injured by blows from an axe as the couple opened the gate to their home.
His mother Helen Minihane, of Dollar, told The Courier, “My son is in a critical condition.
“He had been on a month’s leave from his job for a security firm in Kenya.
“The attackers hacked off his nose, took off some fingers and he also sustained a fractured skull and broken teeth.
“He has undergone an eight-hour exploratory operation as he has no nose.
“He has had his fingers reattached but his jaw is damaged. The surgeons are also considering putting a metal pin behind one of his eyes.”
And while the attack could have proved fatal, Mrs Minihane said she is grateful her son has survived it.
“He is alive and lucid,” she added. “It could have been worse they could have cut an artery.”
Mrs Minihane added, “I have had a letter from the rector of Dollar Academy expressing his concern for Mike.”
A police inspector described the failed home invasion attack as “particularly brutal.”
“Mr Minihane opened the gate for his wife to drive through when the gang approached him at gunpoint and attempted to force him to enter the car where his wife waited.
“Mr Minihane then grabbed the gun and began to fight the men, whereupon they attacked his face and head with axes.
“The wife, hearing the commotion behind the car, sped up to the house to push the panic button and lock her young son away upstairs.”
The gang escaped on foot.