Jury Views CCTV of Dublin Parnell Square Knife Attack on Children, November 23, 2023
A jury viewed CCTV footage of Riad Bouchaker (52) attacking children with a knife on Dublin’s Parnell Square on November 23, 2023. The attack injured several children, one critically. Bouchaker pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including attempted murder; his trial is ongoing.
A jury at the Central Criminal Court viewed CCTV footage of Riad Bouchaker (52) launching a knife attack on children at Parnell Square, Dublin, on November 23, 2023. The attack injured several children, leaving one girl with severe brain damage due to a stab wound to the heart.
Garda John Heatherton compiled footage tracking Bouchaker from 11:06 AM, showing him leaving a De Paul hostel, visiting a cafe, and returning to the hostel. At 12:00 PM, he left with a rucksack and suitcase, visiting a premises on Talbot St before arriving at Cavendish Row around 12:34 PM. He was seen entering the rear of the Delfin English Language School twice before the 1:34 PM attack.
Bouchaker, of no fixed address, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder of two girls and one boy, assault causing serious harm to a care worker, assaulting two other children and an adult male, and producing a knife. The trial, before a jury of nine men and three women, is expected to last up to five weeks. The mother of one five-year-old victim testified her son sustained a neck wound requiring stitches.