News Story

A jury has begun watching a CCTV compilation in the trial of a man accused of attempting to murder three children in Dublin.

Riad Bouchaker, 52 and of no fixed address, is charged with the attempted murder of two girls and one boy, and assault causing serious harm to a care worker, at Parnell Square East in Dublin City on November 23, 2023.

Bouchaker is also charged with assaulting three other people, and with producing a 36cm kitchen knife.

He has pleaded not guilty to all eight charges.

On the second day of his trial at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, Garda John Hetherton from Mountjoy Garda Station told the court he had been working on CCTV investigation in the street crime unit.

Under questioning from Karl Finnegan SC, for the prosecution, Mr Hetherton confirmed 49 CCTV exhibits had been obtained from various locations as part of the investigation.

He agreed with Mr Finnegan that the exhibits show what gardaí believe to be the suspect’s movements before and during the incident on Parnell Square.

The jury of nine men and three women were then shown a CCTV montage lasting over an hour, having earlier been provided with two maps of the area surrounding the incident.

They had been told gardaí had also prepared a document with descriptions of what they believe is shown in the clips.

As the montage was shown, Mr Finnegan said it appeared to show the movements of a man wearing a black cap, black jacket and blue jeans who was carrying a backpack.

He said it showed him move from the Depaul hostel on Little Britain Street towards the Jervis shopping centre after 11am.

At the shopping centre, the man appears to engage with other men.

He then also appears to go through paper documents with one of the men in an area near the lifts.

Mr Finnegan says the footage then appears to show the man ripping up some paper and discarding it towards a Christmas tree in the shopping centre.

Bouchaker, accompanied by an interpreter, was in court as the footage was shown which was paused for a lunch break.

Earlier, the court heard evidence from the mother of a child treated at Crumlin Hospital after the attack.

The jury heard she had been informed of an incident and told she should go to the hospital where she arrived before the ambulance.

She said she got into the ambulance where her son was accompanied by a member of An Garda Síochána who was showing him cartoons on his phone.

The court heard the boy had a wound on his neck with was treated with paper stitches and Steri-Strips.

The trial, under judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt, continues.