CCTV recording of Parnell Square attack played during attempted murder sentencing hearing
The sentencing hearing for Riad Bouchaker, convicted of the 2023 Parnell Square stabbing attack, featured emotional victim impact statements. The court reviewed CCTV footage of the attack, which left multiple children and a childcare worker severely injured.
Why it matters
This case highlights the profound, long-term impact of violent crime on victims and the community, while addressing the legal process for high-profile attempted murder convictions.
A mother whose young daughter is severely disabled after being stabbed by Riad Bouchaker during an attack at Dublin’s Parnell Square in 2023 said her family’s life had changed “unrecognisably” and she “wouldn’t wish this on anyone”.
“A child is forever but every parent’s hope is that you build up their strength to take on life once they are old enough,” the woman told the Central Criminal Court in a victim impact statement on Monday.
She and her husband will be caring for their daughter, now aged eight, for the rest of their lives “and we need to be sure she will be looked after when we are gone”.
“Learning about disability has been eye-opening, but I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”
Her statement was read by Det Garda Shimna Ní Mháirtin during a hearing to decide the sentence to be imposed on Bouchaker.
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