Overview
- Riad Bouchaker, 52 and of no fixed address, has pleaded not guilty to charges that include attempted murder of two girls and one boy over the Parnell Square attack on 23 November 2023.
- The indictment also alleges three counts of assault causing harm and the possession and production of a 36cm kitchen knife said to have been used in the incident.
- A jury of nine men and three women was sworn in on Monday and the trial is scheduled to open before Mr Justice Tony Hunt with an expected duration of up to five weeks.
- Court papers and the judge noted that Bouchaker has an acquired brain injury from prior surgery and a head injury on the day of the incident, and the court has approved measures such as an interpreter, shorter sitting times and additional breaks to protect his right to a fair trial.
- Victims included a five-year-old girl and a woman in their 30s who were reported in critical condition after the attack, with a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl also injured, and the case remains a focal point for questions about public safety and the events that followed in the city.