A court in the Parnell Square trial has heard that a young girl injured during the alleged attack is now nonverbal and uses a wheelchair. 

Riad Bouchaker is on trial for the attempted murder of two girls and one boy in Dublin city centre on 23rd November 2023. 

The 52 year old of no fixed abode is also charged with five counts of assault. 

He has pleaded not guilty to all eight charges. 

Yesterday, the court heard barrister Carl Finnegan set out the prosecution’s case to the jury. 

“He highlighted the importance of the presumption of innocence and did say that this case concerns an incident that attracted a very considerable amount of public attention,” reporter Emily Keegan told Newstalk Breakfast. 

“He acknowledged the members of the jury were all likely to have heard about it at the time and seen public commentary or TV descriptions of what may have happened. 

“He told them that they have to put all of that entirely out of their minds and that they must not rely on media reports they've seen previously or public opinion.

“He stressed that the case was not to be decided on emotion, sympathy or outrage, but on the evidence alone.” 

Gardaí and emergency services in Parnell Square East in Dublin. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.

It is the prosecution’s case that Mr Bouchaker approached a group of children on Parnell Square who were being taken to an afterschool creche, they accused him of then stabbing or attempting to stab them. 

“He said the prosecution believes Mr Bouchaker intended to kill when carrying out the alleged offences,” Ms Keegan said. 

“He told the jury that they'll hear about the investigation and they'll see CCTV footage recovered along with Garda interviews and they'll hear from a number of eyewitnesses. 

“He went on to say that the jury is being asked to consider the use of the knife, the selection of young children, the targeting of upper body, neck, head and chest areas, the repeated stabbing and jabbing motions and the need for members of the public to intervene to stop the alleged incident.”

Gardaí in Parnell Square East. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie.

The court also heard from a number of witnesses, one of whom was the mother of one of the children who the prosecution allege Mr Bouchaker attacked. 

She told the court that her daughter had just turned five at the time of the alleged attack and recalled receiving a phone call from the owner of the creche. 

“She told the court she initially thought her daughter might have had a fall or something like that,” Ms Keegan said. 

“At this point, she became visibly upset in the court and said when she answered the phone, the woman on the other end had said, ‘Oh, my God, oh, my God,’ before telling her her daughter had been stabbed. 

“She said she ran from her place of work at Temple Bar to the scene and when she got to O'Connell Street and the Spire, she could see that there were emergency vehicles ahead. 

“She actually stopped breathing at one point, but kept running until she got there.”

Gardaí in Parnell Square East in Dublins city centre. Picture by: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos.

The woman also recalled seeing the area around Parnell Square had been cordoned off and that she saw a man being taken into an ambulance, who she now believes was Mr Bouchaker.

She continued that she saw paramedics around her daughter with her pink back pack; she then called her husband and mother, who she told to start praying. 

“The court heard the young girl was taken to Temple Street Hospital, where the first question her mother asked doctors was, ‘Is she dead?’” Ms Keegan said. 

“She told the jury the girl was without oxygen to her brain for 40 minutes, which has caused severe damage to her brain. 

“She underwent emergency heart surgery on the day and when asked how her daughter is doing now, the witness said she's currently in a wheelchair, nonverbal, learning to swallow again and can only blink to indicate yes or no.”

Main image: Gardaí and emergency services at the scene of a serious incident on Parnell Square East in Dublin city centre. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov/ RollingNews.ie