A 52-year-old man has been convicted of attempting to murder three children during a knife attack which sparked rioting and looting across Dublin city. Riad Bouchaker was convicted at the city’s Central Criminal Court on Wednesday of the attempted murder of a five-year-old girl who was stabbed in the heart, and the attempted murders of a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl. The five-year-old girl is now non-verbal, uses a wheelchair and cannot swallow safely.
Background of the Attack
Disorder followed the attack in November 2023, with police cars, buses and a tram set on fire and shops looted and ransacked, leading to a major policing operation. Bouchaker, an Algerian national and Irish citizen who has lived in Ireland for 25 years, was also convicted of intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to the children’s care worker, Leanne Flynn, whom he stabbed in the left side of her body as she bravely intervened to protect her young charges.
Additional Convictions
Bouchaker was also found guilty of assault causing harm to another boy and girl, aged five and six respectively, as well as to a French teenager who intervened as he passed by, and the production of the 36cm kitchen knife. He had denied all eight charges. The jury heard evidence from more than a dozen eyewitnesses to the knife attack, viewed CCTV footage of the incident and Garda interviews with Bouchaker a month after the attack.
Motive and Evidence
They heard Bouchaker tell detectives during a videotaped interview at a Garda station that he was “upset” at a negative social welfare decision, but adding that he “did not mean to hurt anybody”. Bouchaker received a letter, dated November 15, advising him that his application for basic supplementary welfare allowance would be closed or disallowed if he failed to provide certain documents by November 22. Through an interpreter, the defendant told detectives during an interview in December 2023 that the decision by the Department of Social Welfare made him feel like “this country is telling me to leave”.
Targeting of Young Children
Detectives had put it to Bouchaker during interviews that he demonstrated patience and restraint on November 23 2023 in finding a school, including asking people for directions and what time school finished. They told him he had the “instinct” not to attack a group of older, taller children and went for “the smallest children you could find”, waiting for other pedestrians to pass until there was the least amount of adults and the most amount of children present in the time he stood there. The prosecution argued that his specific targeting of smaller children and where he injured them – the chest, head and neck – was evidence of an intention to kill.
Medical and Legal Proceedings
Bouchaker received brain surgery in 2021 and a portion of his skull was removed, leaving a part of his brain vulnerable. He suffered a head injury when members of the public intervened on November 23 2023, after which he received hospital treatment for a month. His defence team, who the judge ordered cannot be named due to safety concerns, said Bouchaker’s cognitive function, memory, concentration, communication and decision-making was affected as a result of the cognitive impairment. Mr Justice Tony Hunt ruled Bouchaker was fit to stand trial in March, and said while he “undoubtedly had cognitive limitations” and would need accommodations, he added that the existence of those requirements did not equate to unfitness. He has had an Arabic interpreter and a speech and language expert during the trial.
Victim Impact and Sentencing
The parents of the injured children and care worker Ms Flynn were among those who gave evidence during the trial, which lasted for over three weeks. A sentence hearing is scheduled for Monday October 12, when victim impact statements are expected to be heard.
