Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has called for the State to recognise Leanne Flynn, the childcare worker who bravely intervened to protect young children during a knife attack on Parnell Square East three years ago. Speaking in Belfast on Thursday, McDonald praised Flynn as an "absolute hero" after Riad Bouchaker, 52, was found guilty of the attempted murder of a five-year-old girl and two other children.
Attack and Trial Details
Riad Bouchaker, an Algerian national and Irish citizen of no fixed abode, was convicted of the attempted murder of a five-year-old girl who was stabbed in the heart, as well as the attempted murders of a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl. He was also found guilty of assault causing harm to another boy and girl, aged five and six, and a French teenager who intervened, plus the production of a 36cm kitchen knife. He had denied all eight charges.
The attack occurred on November 23, 2023, sparking riots in Dublin hours later, with vehicles and a Luas tram set on fire and shops looted, making international headlines.
Leanne Flynn's Heroic Intervention
During the three-week trial, Flynn's bravery was repeatedly highlighted. She suffered a major stab wound to her lower back, damaging her spleen, lungs, diaphragm, and stomach. A surgeon testified that the injury to her spleen was "significant" and required its removal as a "lifesaving measure." Her diaphragm was injured, causing her stomach to move into her chest cavity, and one of her lungs collapsed. She was placed in an induced coma, underwent two emergency surgeries, and has not returned to work.
McDonald, who knows Flynn personally, said: "Leanne is an absolute hero. I know her quite well. I know her family. She’s a mother of two young children herself, and there is absolutely no doubt Leanne saved lives... She suffered very, very serious injuries herself. She spent a very considerable amount of time in hospital. She is now back up and at it. She’s an incredible young woman. I salute her bravery."
Call for State Recognition
McDonald urged formal recognition: "I think there ought to be a full recognition of Leanne by the state, by the city of Dublin, because I know the school, the parents, all of us recognise just how brave she has been."
Impact on Victims
McDonald, who visited the scene shortly after the attack, said she would "never forget the level of panic and distress." She commended the "fortitude," "grace," and "resilience" of the parents and teaching staff, describing it as "an absolutely horrific, horrific experience of trauma for very, very young children."
The five-year-old girl stabbed in the heart now has a lifelong disability. Now aged seven, she requires 24-hour care after her brain was deprived of oxygen for 40 minutes. She is non-verbal, communicates only by blinking, uses a wheelchair, and is fed through a tube. Her mother said explaining the attack was "probably one of the hardest things that I had to do."
McDonald noted: "There is no real justice for that child. The school community is a real community of solidarity and love, and that child victim is very, very much loved by her peers, by the staff, and by the whole community."
