A young Donegal man was beaten up so badly damaged by a gang that surgeons had to put part of his skull in the bin. 

On January 20th, 26-year-old Charles Dooher was at home on his family farm in Lifford, County Donegal when a gang of masked men broke in and attacked him. 

He was airflifted to hospital in Belfast where doctors told his family to “prepare for the worst”. 

Six weeks on, Mr Dooher is still alive but with a long recovery ahead of him. 

Speaking to Newstalk’s Barry Whyte, Mr Dooher’s partner, Charlotte Gallen, described the extent of his injuries. 

“He obviously was beaten on the back of his head with steel bats or steel bars,” said. 

“Actually the only injuries he had were to the back of his head. 

“They actually shattered his skull completely to the point where surgeons couldn’t save the part of the skull and it ended up in the bin. 

“Instead, they would usually save it and try and put it back in once his brain had reduced in swelling. 

“But they weren’t able to do that because it crumbled whenever they removed it. 

“He was left on life support in intensive care for four weeks, unable to breathe for himself.”

Charles and Charlotte. Image: Supplied.

Ms Gallen said Mr Dooher is “very lucky to be alive” but his recovery has been slow because his injuries are so extensive. 

“We were told he was going to die because his brain had swollen out of control and there was too much pressure on his head,” she said. 

“It was just a case of we had to sit and wait until the swelling had reduced. 

“It’s six weeks nearly now and he’s still not well enough to have the missing part of his skill replaced with a titanium plate.” 

Mc Gallen and Mr Dooher have been a couple for five-years now but she admitted that the attack has changed the way she views their future together. 

“I would sit by his side every day, if I had to,” she said. 

“For him in such a small community, for something like this to happen, it definitely throws a curveball in the way our future was to be planned. 

“We talked about having children and stuff [but] you would question if you would even bring children up in this world and in this community.” 

Charles and Charlotte. Image: Supplied.

Ms Gallen declined to speculate on the motive behind the attack, but she did describe the perpetrators as “callous” and “evil”. 

“I genuinely don’t think they have a conscience to realise what they’ve done is so wrong,” she said.  

No arrests have been made yet but Ms Gallen expects Gardaí will find out who attacked him. 

“I do believe that justice will come and I’m aware that it takes a lot of time,” she said.  

Today, Gardaí renewed their witness appeal and anyone with any information has been asked to contact Letterkenny Garda Station.

Main image: Charles Dooher. Image: Supplied.