Parnell Square stabbing: court hears of lifelong injuries to children

Sentencing has begun for Riad Bouchaker, convicted of attempting to murder three children in Dublin. A five-year-old girl suffered a severe, permanent brain injury.

Sentencing begins for Parnell Square attacker as victims' trauma detailed in court

A sentencing hearing for Riad Bouchaker, convicted of the attempted murder of three children outside a Dublin school, opened on Monday, the Irish Independent reports.

Bouchaker, originally from Algeria but an Irish citizen who had lived in Ireland for 25 years, carried a 36cm kitchen knife to Parnell Square on 23 November 2023. He had received a letter refusing him a social welfare payment earlier that day. He asked for directions to the school and then waited until 13 five- and six-year-olds were lined up outside the Gaelscoil on the square, ready to go to their afterschool.

The attack lasted just 15 seconds. The damage, the court was told, was catastrophic.

Childcare worker Leanne Flynn was helping a young boy zip up his jacket when she saw Bouchaker move towards the children in a crouching position and begin "ferociously stabbing" a little girl. Flynn placed herself between Bouchaker and the children and was stabbed in the side as she struggled with him. She suffered two collapsed lungs, injuries to her diaphragm and stomach, and required the removal of her spleen. She spent a month in hospital and continues to face ongoing health issues.

The five-year-old girl most seriously hurt was stabbed in the heart. Her brain was deprived of oxygen, leaving her with a severe and permanent brain injury. She was saved by the intervention of paramedics, firefighters, and doctors from nearby hospitals, but will require around-the-clock care for the rest of her life.

A six-year-old girl sustained a knife wound to the head. A young boy had a laceration to his neck which gardaí said was caused by an attempt to cut his throat. Another boy had a slash mark to his chest; the blade had cut through both his coat and school uniform. A clump of hair was also cut from a six-year-old girl's head.

Detective Sergeant Padraig Cleary gave evidence about the events of the day and the subsequent garda investigation. Gardaí concluded that Bouchaker had intended to kill children, and that any one — or more — of the 13 pupils in the line could have been fatally wounded.

The court will also receive victim impact statements from the parents of most of the injured children, from Flynn herself, and from young chef Alain Lorena Guille, who was injured when he seized the knife from Bouchaker.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt indicated that he would not impose sentence on the day and said a final sentence was likely to be handed down within a "few weeks". He also noted that some members of the jury had returned to court and welcomed them back. The judge issued a firm warning that anyone who publicly identified any of the children injured in the attack could "expect very rough treatment indeed."

Source: Irish Independent