Family of man injured in Sligo burglary say there’s “no real hope”

Tom was viscously attacked in his home last month.

The family of Sligo man Tom Niland, who was badly beaten during a burglary at his home last month, has spoken out about the hopelessness of his situation. The 73-year-old is currently on life support at Sligo University Hospital. Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, Tom's cousin Michael Walsh thanked the public for the well wishes and cards sent to the hospital. He admitted he found it difficult to see a strong man like his cousin in such a bad condition and that he feels only a miracle could save him now. "I went to see him last night. There’s no change. There’s no real hope at the moment,” he said. "It’s an absolute disgrace to see Tom like that. His head was two or three times bigger, they broke his eye socket, he had broken ribs and various other injuries.” Michael went on to condemn the "vile" people who committed the crime.

"They do not think like us. To think of what they did, how they kicked him in the head, it would make you throw up.

“How can anyone get up in the morning and know that this will be their work for the day? To bring a 73-year-old to the brink of death."

Michael urged people with information about the three intruders to come forward: “Any information at all could be crucial.” On Tuesday 18 January, three masked men forced their way into the Tom's home and viciously assaulted him before stealing a small sum of money. Following the attack, he managed to crawl from his home and get the attention of passing motorists. Gardaí were then alerted by his neighbours. Tom was transferred to Sligo University Hospital and is now in a critical condition on life support. An Garda Síochána have said that "no stone will be left unturned" in the investigation into the assault.