She remains in critical condition in an induced coma at Tallaght Hospital
(Image: Paul Healy)
This is the mother-of-two who was drenched in an accelerant and set alight – as her heartbroken family speak of her struggle for survival in hospital.
Heartbroken relatives of Alexis Lee Campion, who was meant to mark her 44th birthday today, exclusively told Dublin Live about her ongoing fight for life in hospital – a fortnight after a horrific assault at her home in Oak Downs, Clondalkin.
Tragic Alexis opened her front door to an attacker who soaked her in an accelerant and ignited her – leaving her with near third degree burns across most of her body and in a critical condition in Tallaght Hospital. Now her relatives, who have requested anonymity, have disclosed the appalling scale of the assault, which has left Alexis’s face completely unrecognisable, the majority of her body wrapped in bandages, and her being put into an induced coma.
Speaking to this publication one relative, who is amongst many at Alexis’s hospital bedside, described the incident as “a very dangerous and evil thing,” as they spoke of the severity of her injuries. “She was such a beautiful looking girl and her whole life now is just in tatters. She’s not ever going to be the same,” the relative said, reports the Irish Mirror.
The scene at Oak Downs, Clondalkin(Image: SAM BOAL/Collins Photos)
“We never thought it would escalate like this. She was trying to get herself together and this happened. She has really been through the mill and now she’s still in a very dangerous situation. She’s still critical and they are telling us every day that she’s prone to infections, she’s going to have multiple skin grafts, she’s 35 per cent burns, nearly third degree burns, and they’ve gone through the skin.
“Her face is bad and she’s just unrecognisable at the moment. She just got it very bad – her face, her neck, her chest, her arm, her feet, the back of her feet. A lot of damage has been done to her,” they explained. The relative continued to reveal that Alexis remains in an induced coma, with the family having no certainty whether she’ll regain her sight or mobility – assuming she pulls through.
“I don’t know if she’ll be able to see again, if she can even talk. She’s in a medically induced coma. She’s been waking up and they’ve been putting her back to sleep because they don’t want her in any pain and they want the burns to heal,” they said.
Characterising the dedicated mother of two young men as a “good person,” the relative stated that Alexis became entangled in circumstances beyond her control – and has suffered the consequences. A second family member also spoke to this publication regarding Alexis’s state, revealing how medics had even suggested she might not pull through.
Mother-of-two Alexis Lee Campion, who was doused in accelerant and set on fire at a house in Clondalkin, West Dublin.(Image: Paul Healy)
“We’ve been told by the doctors that she might not make it out of it. She might not walk out of the hospital. At the moment skin grafts are trying to save her eyes, nose and her mouth. We’ve been in the hospital with her the whole time. She is waking up but the nurse said they are giving her more medication to sedate her,” they shared. “She’s bandaged from head to toe. If she does pull out of it she’s going to need to be looked after full time.”
Addressing the assailants, believed to be connected to a local drugs gang, the family members said they can’t understand how they are still walking the streets. “I don’t know how they walk the streets after doing something like this. We’re not sure what the outcome is. At the moment she’s still critical so we just have to hope for the best that she will pull through.”
Another family member added: “At first I was told she was dead and then I was told that’s what happened then. I just feel heartbroken even thinking about it. I’m just thinking about the whole attack on her and how vicious it was. I just can’t understand how anyone could hurt such a young girl.”
Previously, this newspaper disclosed that the victim’s partner, identified as convicted burglar Francis Maguire, 49, is thought to have been the main target of an aggrieved drugs gang active in the area. The brutal gang who assaulted his girlfriend also tried to douse Maguire with accelerant, most of which he managed to avoid.
The scene at the Oak Downs area of Clondalkin this afternoon.(Image: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos)
Alexis Lee Campion(Image: Paul Healy)
In a desperate attempt to save his partner’s life, Maguire used his hands to extinguish the fire, injuring himself in the process. A group of men had shown up at Maguire’s residence the previous afternoon, brandishing knives, prompting gardai to be notified. However, no formal complaint was lodged with the gardai at that time.
According to sources, this horrific attack marks a significant escalation following several incidents at the house over recent years. A local resident recounted to us a shocking past incident where shots were fired at the house a few years back. “It’s very sad, there have been a lot of incidents but nothing quite like this. That poor woman did not deserve this,” said a local.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage – with a local councillor demanding that gardaí treat the case as attempted murder. Sinn Féin councillor William Joseph Carey, who resides close to where the assault occurred, told us: “I believe it to be an attempted murder and it should be treated as such. I live quite close to where this occurred and the local residents here are just in complete shock. It’s been quite a traumatic experience for many of them. One or two residents actually witnessed the aftermath after they heard screaming coming from the household. They’re quite traumatised at the moment.”
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