Courts / Dublin / Report

Sister of Stardust victim tells jury of moment she jumped on man stabbing children

Summary

Riad Bouchaker, 52, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court, where he has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is alleged to have attempted to murder two girls and one boy, assaulted creche worker Leanne Flynn causing serious harm, assaulted two other children and an adult male, and produced a knife in a manner likely to intimidate. The incident allegedly occurred on November 23, 2023, at Parnell Square East in Dublin City. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, is expected to last up to five weeks. Witnesses described Bouchaker as stabbing children before being restrained by members of the public. Siobhan Kearney, whose brother died in the Stardust nightclub fire, testified that she jumped on Bouchaker to stop him, kicking away his knife and protecting him from further blows by the crowd. Warren Donoghue stated he struck Bouchaker in the jaw to prevent him from killing or seriously injuring the children. Other witnesses, including Eileen O'Sullivan, Michael Healy, and Oisin Murphy, described seeing Bouchaker wield a knife against children and being struck by a motorbike helmet and a bicycle lock before being brought to the ground. The matter is currently at the trial stage and has not been finalised.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Sister of Stardust victim tells jury of moment she jumped on man stabbing children. Charges or matters: all charges and his trial is expected to last up to five weeks. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• November 23rd, 2023 Incident
• 2026-06-16 Publication

Why: Warren Donoghue said he had to put him down' because of what Mr Bouchaker was doing. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report