Siobhán Kearney, a hospital chef who intervened to prevent an angry mob from further assaulting Riad Bouchaker after he stabbed three young children and their care provider, has spoken about her enduring regret.
Bouchaker was convicted this week in Dublin's Central Criminal Court for the attempted murder of three five- and six-year-old children and for stabbing their child minder, Leanne Flynn, on November 23, 2023. He also pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to other individuals.
Kearney, who helped disarm Bouchaker and then guarded him while he was on the ground, told the Irish Mail on Sunday that she is haunted by the thought that she could have prevented the most seriously injured child from sustaining her "catastrophic injuries" if she had arrived moments earlier.
"I always wonder if I got there a few seconds earlier could I have saved that girl from getting those catastrophic injuries," Kearney stated. "If I had paid attention before I heard the scream, the poor child, that’s all I can think of, and her mother."
Months after the attack, Kearney began working at Temple Street Children's Hospital, where the most severely injured child was being treated. The experience led her to tears in the hospital's restroom as she grappled with the emotional toll.
"That child went to school that morning a perfectly happy five-year-old and by lunchtime her life was never going to be the same," Kearney reflected. "Her mother’s life is never going to be the same and her father’s life is never going to be the same."
The jury deliberated for over four hours before finding Bouchaker guilty of attempting to murder two girls and one boy. He was also convicted of stabbing Flynn and assaulting two other youngsters and a French teenager who had attempted to intervene.
Evidence presented during the trial indicated that Bouchaker, an Algerian-born Irish national, had expressed anger towards Irish people shortly before the attack, reportedly due to his disability allowance application being rejected.
One five-year-old girl suffered severe injuries, including a stab wound to the heart, requiring lifelong 24-hour care. She can now only communicate by blinking. A second five-year-old girl sustained a scalp injury, and the boy suffered a neck injury. Their child minder, Leanne Flynn, underwent emergency surgery and had her spleen removed.
Kearney's experience is informed by personal tragedy. Her 18-year-old brother, Liamo, was one of the 48 young people who died in the 1981 Stardust nightclub fire. The Parnell Square attack occurred while she was attending the inquest into the Stardust fire, which had been ongoing since April 2023.
She described hearing a "piercing scream" and seeing the knife in the attacker's hand before crossing the road, shouting warnings. She recalled the chaos that followed, including Bouchaker being disarmed. When some individuals began attacking the unconscious Bouchaker, Kearney intervened, holding hands with another woman, and they prevented further assault.
"I stood my ground... when your man was out cold... they were beating him and I was dragging them," she said. "I couldn’t have it on my conscience. I have sought truth and justice all my life and I can’t let something like that happen."
Kearney meticulously documented her account of the attack in her recipe book to ensure her testimony would be unbiased by social media or other accounts.
She also criticized the subsequent riots in Dublin, stating that they harmed the city and diverted resources from emergency services. Kearney expressed her belief that the day of the attack should have been marked by peaceful vigils for the victims rather than by violence and looting.