A 52-year-old man, Riad Bouchaker, has been found guilty of the attempted murder of three children and assaulting four other people during an incident in Dublin's Parnell Square in November 2023. Bouchaker, who had no fixed address, was also convicted of assault causing serious harm to crèche worker Leanne Flynn, and of assaulting two other children and a teenager.
The Central Criminal Court heard that a five-year-old girl sustained a life-long brain injury after Bouchaker stabbed her. The jury deliberated for approximately six hours before reaching a verdict on Wednesday afternoon. Bouchaker denied all eight charges against him.
Sentencing for Bouchaker has been scheduled for October 12, and he will remain in custody until then. Judge Tony Hunt thanked the jury for their diligent work, acknowledging the difficult nature of the evidence presented, and stated that their verdicts were fully aligned with the evidence presented.