Childcare worker testifies in Dublin knife attack trial

A childcare worker and several members of the public have described intervening in a violent knife attack on a group of young children in central Dublin nearly three years ago. The testimony came during the ongoing trial of Riad Bouchaker, 52, who has pleaded not guilty to eight charges related to the incident on Parnell Square East on November 23, 2023.

The Central Criminal Court heard that multiple children and an adult were injured in the attack. One five-year-old girl, who was stabbed in the heart, now requires a wheelchair and can communicate only by blinking. Another adult victim, childcare worker Leanne Flynn, spent a month in hospital with life-threatening injuries and has not been able to return to work.

Flynn, 38, testified that she was collecting children from a nearby school shortly after 1:30 p.m. when she noticed a man standing at a bus stop. She said the man, whom the defense has accepted is Bouchaker, then walked towards the lined-up children in a crouched motion, produced a knife, and began "ferociously jabbing" at a young girl. Flynn said she shouted at the man, ran towards him, and grabbed him from behind by his jacket to pull him away from the children.