First aid saves priest after stabbing attack

Sydney, Australia, Aug 10, 2007 / 08:42 am

A Sydney priest, who had his throat cut in a vicious stabbing attack at his residence yesterday, was saved thanks to the residence chef who performed first aid.

Fr. Ho Tran, 55, was repeatedly stabbed when he disturbed an intruder near his residence’s dining area at 4:30 am. Fr. Ho is the rector of the Divine Word Mission in Marsfield, which is a residence for current and retired priests of the Divine Word Missionaries.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Fr. Ho had left his room after hearing a strange noise in the early morning. He came upon the intruder in an entrance between his flat and the dining room. The intruder then stabbed the priest, cutting his throat and slashing an artery in his arm before fleeing. The intruder is still at large.

Fr. Ho stumbled outside, along a concrete walkway to the end of his building, and woke the 68-year-old mission chef, Ray Thrift, who tended to the priest's wounds before calling police.

"He rendered first aid at the scene which was critical to [Fr. Ho's] survival,” Inspector Jim Szabo from Eastwood police told the Herald. “His actions at the scene may have saved the father's life.”

Fr. Ho is currently in the hospital recovering from surgery. He is in stable condition.

There are no clues at this time to the intruder's motive