The horrific injuries suffered by Alba Pardo (Image via Herald.ie)
These are the horrific injuries inflicted on an innocent young woman in a frenzied attack during which a screwdriver was used to repeatedly stab her face.
The victim has since suffered several panic attacks as a result of the traumatic incident, while gardai continue to hunt for the attacker.
Alba Pardo (27), who is originally from Spain, was walking home in the early hours of last Friday when she was approached by a hooded man on the Station Road in Newbridge, Co Kildare.
"I noticed a man across the road, but I didn't think anything of it, so I continued up the street," Ms Pardo told the Herald.
"However, a few metres up the road I noticed he was right behind me. He then asked for money, but I told him I didn't have any."
He then produced a screwdriver and began to stab Ms Pardo in the face, leaving her with shocking injuries.
"He just started attacking me, he took something out of his pocket. I was so scared when I saw that it was a screwdriver, I tried to protect my face, but he wouldn't stop stabbing me with it - he left horrible marks on my face," said Ms Pardo.
"He was punching me and kneeing me in the ribs, I thought it would never end."
Ms Pardo, who volunteers with the local Newbridge Town Football Club, moved to Ireland three years ago and works as an au pair.
She described how she was both physically and emotionally scarred after the horrifying assault.
"The physical damage might be gone in a week, but the psychological damage will be here for a while. My face is not getting better as quick as I would like," she said.
"I just want to make other people aware, so that they don't walk home on their own at night."
Ms Pardo also described how she would need "professional help" to overcome the terrifying ordeal, and said that she was having nightmares and suffering panic attacks.
It is the third attack to occur on Station Road in recent weeks. A garda spokesperson confirmed they are investigating the incident - which is being treated as a robbery and an assault - but so far no arrests have been made.
The assailant is described as five-foot-seven, thin, and with a closely-trimmed beard.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Newbridge Garda Station.