Parnell Square stabbing trial: garda presence at Mater Hospital, 24cm knife shown to jury

Riad Bouchaker (52) is on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the alleged stabbing of children and a crèche worker in Dublin in November 2023.

Garda maintained hospital watch after Parnell Square attack, court hears

A garda presence was maintained at the Mater Hospital for 28 days following the alleged Parnell Square knife attacks because hospital staff were nervous after learning what Riad Bouchaker was accused of, the Central Criminal Court has heard, according to Irish Independent.

Bouchaker (52), of no fixed address, is on trial charged with the attempted murder of two girls and one boy, and assault causing serious harm to crèche worker Leanne Flynn, at Parnell Square East in Dublin City on 23 November 2023. He is further charged with assaulting two other children and a teenager and with producing a knife in a manner likely to intimidate. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The trial is expected to last up to five weeks.

Detective Sergeant Padraig Cleary told prosecutor Karl Finnegan SC that gardaí attended the Mater Hospital during the 28-day period following the alleged attacks, which left one child with a severe brain injury due to blood loss.

"They knew the incident he was alleged to have been involved in and people were nervous," Det Sgt Cleary told the court. "So we retained a garda presence at the hospital for that purpose."

He said officers were present partly to gather belongings or evidence samples, but also to provide "reassurance for staff at the hospital."

Arrest following psychiatric assessment

Det Sgt Cleary told the court that he later learned the accused had post-traumatic amnesia, which required a 28-day assessment. On 19 December — 27 days after Bouchaker's hospitalisation — he met with a consultant psychiatrist who informed him the assessment would take place the following morning.

At 6.45am on 20 December, Det Sgt Cleary and other gardaí attended St Peter's Ward at the Mater Hospital, accompanied by a French Arabic translator. The consultant carried out the assessment and informed gardaí that Bouchaker was being discharged.

Det Sgt Cleary then went to Bouchaker's room and, with the assistance of the translator, told him he was being arrested for attempted murder and would be taken to Mountjoy Garda Station. The group arrived at Mountjoy at 7.15am.

CCTV reviewed within 30 minutes

Det Sgt Cleary also told the court that on the day of the alleged stabbings, gardaí were able to review CCTV footage of the incident within 30 minutes of it occurring. He observed in the footage that the suspect had removed a backpack moments before the attack and left it at a nearby bus stop. Gardaí were dispatched to photograph the backpack and other items found in the vicinity, including a knife.

He also noted from the footage that two children Bouchaker is alleged to have attempted to murder were being treated inside a nearby building. Arrangements were made for children who had not been injured to be reunited with their parents in a laneway behind the building.

Knife and evidence shown to jury

Detective Garda Raymond Lee told the court that inside the discarded rucksack at the bus stop, gardaí found a cover for a 24cm carving knife. He showed the jury a jacket with red stains on the inside of the hood, which gardaí believe was worn by one of the alleged victims. He also presented strands of hair said to have been cut from the head of another alleged victim.

The trial has previously heard that a member of the public removed the knife from the scene and placed it over a railing into the Garden of Remembrance, across the street from where the incident occurred. Detective Garda Ian Walsh removed the knife from a protective tube and showed it to the jury.

Doctors "went against protocols" to save five-year-old

Earlier in the proceedings, a consultant told the court that doctors "went against protocols and just ran with things" as they worked to save the life of a five-year-old girl who had been stabbed in the heart and had no pulse.

Dr Michael Boyle, head of the neonatal department at the Rotunda Hospital, said he believed the child was dead when he first saw her. Her skin appeared "grey" and he found no pulse despite ongoing CPR by paramedics.

Dr Boyle told prosecuting counsel Carol Doherty BL that he came upon the scene after hearing about a stabbing on Parnell Square East, close to the Rotunda Hospital where he was working at the time. He found his own neonatal transport team already attending to the girl after they had been flagged down nearby.

Paramedics had placed drains in the child's chest and were performing CPR to try to stimulate the heart. Dr Peter Harper, a paediatric anaesthetist from Temple Street Hospital, "fortuitously" arrived at the scene and assisted with inserting a breathing tube into the child's airway.

When chest compressions were briefly paused, Dr Boyle checked for a pulse at the femoral artery and found none. Another doctor from the Rotunda had ordered blood to be sent immediately, and a decision was taken to carry out a transfusion in the ambulance.

The team chose to bring the girl to Temple Street Hospital — the nearest facility — despite knowing there was no cardiothoracic surgeon on site. Dr Boyle said he bypassed the emergency department to avoid delays in reaching the operating theatre, running ahead of the ambulance to alert staff and prepare space.

"We went against protocols and just ran with things," Dr Boyle said, explaining the urgency of the situation.

Source: Irish Independent