A jury at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin has been shown CCTV footage of a man allegedly carrying out an attack on children in the city centre. The incident, which took place on Parnell Square East on November 23, 2023, left multiple children and an adult injured. One girl is now in a wheelchair and non-verbal.
Charges and Plea
Riad Bouchaker, 52, of no fixed address, faces eight charges, including attempted murder of two girls and one boy, and assault causing serious harm to a care worker. He is also charged with assaulting three other people and producing a 36cm kitchen knife. Bouchaker has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
CCTV Evidence
On the second day of the trial, the jury watched a one-hour CCTV compilation. Garda John Hetherton from Mountjoy Garda Station testified that the clips show what police believe are the suspect’s movements before and during the attack. Under questioning from prosecution barrister Karl Finnegan SC, the footage was played to the court.
The CCTV appears to show a man in a black cap, carrying a backpack, approaching a group of schoolchildren. The compilation also captures the suspect’s actions during the incident. Mr Finnegan noted that the footage shows a man in the area around a school in Parnell Square East from approximately 12.30pm on the day.
The jury saw a man entering a back yard and looking towards the school. Later, at around 1pm, he is seen walking behind a group of schoolchildren holding a bag. At 1.15pm, he stands near a junction. By 1.32pm, he walks up Parnell Square towards the school and stops at a bus stop outside. Footage from a Dublin Bus camera shows him holding a bag to his front. At 1.34pm, he stands at the bus stop for about one minute and 46 seconds before moving towards the children. A zoomed-in, half-speed clip was also shown.
The compilation concluded for the day. Earlier, Garda Hetherton confirmed 49 CCTV exhibits were obtained from various locations, showing the suspect’s movements before and during the attack.
Earlier Movements
The jury also saw footage of a man wearing a black cap, black jacket, and blue jeans, carrying a backpack, moving from the Depaul hostel in Little Britain Street towards the Jervis shopping centre after 11am. At the centre, he appears to engage with other men and goes through paper documents near the lifts. He then rips up some paper and discards it towards a Christmas tree.
After a lunch break, further footage showed the man returning to the hostel and leaving again with a backpack and wheeled suitcase at 11.45am. He then moves towards Talbot Street, where he discusses the bag with another man inside a premises.
Victim Testimony
The court also heard from the mother of a child treated at Crumlin Hospital after the attack. She arrived at the hospital before the ambulance and entered the ambulance, where her son was with a garda showing him cartoons on a phone. The boy had a neck wound treated with paper stitches and Steri-Strips.
The trial, presided over by Judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt, will continue on Friday.
