A striptease performer has said he is leaving his profession after he was attacked by a gang of men wielding iron bars that he believes were hired by a rival striptease company.
Renoir Taha (30) from Dublin was on his way to a booking in Knockbridge, Co Louth, at about 8.45pm on Saturday when a black Mitsubishi pulled up beside his car and three men wearing ski masks got out.
“Three guys pulled up,” he said. “At first, I thought it was a robbery and I was prepared to give them everything I have because I didn’t want any hassle. They told me to get out of the car.
“I went to get out but one of them went to hit my head with a steel bar. I ducked back into the car but they continued hitting me with the bars. My shoulder was hit a few times as I was turning. I have more bruising on my wrist.
“They smashed all the windows on my car. They were beating me up basically. I crawled to the other side of the car and fell out onto the glass. I managed to stand up and ran as fast as I could.”
Mr Taha said the men showed no interest in his belongings and “looked professional”. He suggested they may have been hired by a rival striptease company as the industry “can be very dirty”.
“They didn’t look like amateurs – they looked professional,” he said. “They were very big and built. They were wearing ski masks.
“They didn’t touch anything. They had no interest in my phone, my car, or my money. I am a stripper. They have a different kind of career. They do this as their job for whoever will pay them. This is a very dirty industry.
“When people see you’re doing well, they can get jealous. I’m very paranoid and scared that they are going to come back. I just want to move on with my life. I don’t want to start a war with them.
“For now, I’m out of the stripping industry. I won’t be doing that again. I don’t feel comfortable working on my own at the moment.”
Mr Taha was brought to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, where he was treated for his injuries. He added that he has struggled to walk properly and suffered serious bruising to his arms during the attack.
“I can’t lift things or do any activities,” he said. “If it hadn’t been for the car, they could have killed me.”
A spokesman for the Garda said officers in Louth were investigating the matter as an incident of criminal damage and assault. “We’re appealing for information and the investigation is ongoing,” he added.
