A man has been found guilty of the attempted murder of three children in a stabbing attack in Dublin, in a case that drew intense attention in Ireland. The verdict was returned at the city's Central Criminal Court, closing a trial connected to one of the most serious incidents in the capital in recent years.
The man convicted was named in court as Riyad Bouchaka, who is 52 years old. He had denied any wrongdoing during the trial, but the court found him guilty over the attack, which targeted two girls and a boy.
According to the account presented in court, the attack took place at Parnell Square East on the 23rd of November 2023. The children were among those caught up in the sudden violence in a busy part of the city centre.
As well as the attempted murder counts, Bouchaka was convicted of recklessly causing serious harm to a care worker. The worker had collected the children from school and was present when the attack unfolded.
The court also found him guilty of assaulting other young people who were nearby at the time. Prosecutors had set out how the events of that afternoon affected several people beyond the three children who were the focus of the most serious charges.
The 2023 attack had wider consequences beyond the immediate scene. That evening, serious disorder erupted in Dublin, with rioting that led to damage in the city and a large security response, an episode that shocked the country.
With the verdict now returned, attention turns to the next stage of the legal process. The identities of the child victims have not been released, in line with protections for minors, and the case underlines how a single act of violence can reverberate through a community long after the day it happened.