Man describes punching Parnell stabbing suspect to save children

Eoin Reynolds

An 'extraordinarily brave' man has described how he ran towards Riad Bouchaker and gave him a 'dig in the jaw' as the defendant appeared to be in a position to kill or seriously injure a group of children.

Warren Donoghue said he 'had to put him down' because of what Bouchaker was doing. When Bouchaker fell to the ground,  Donoghue said he kicked him to 'make sure he didn't get back up'.

Riad Bouchaker (52), of no fixed address, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court charged with the attempted murder of two girls and one boy, and assault causing serious harm to creche worker Leanne Flynn, at Parnell Square East in Dublin City on November 23rd, 2023.

He is further charged with assaulting two other children and an adult male and with producing a knife in a manner likely to intimidate.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and his trial is expected to last up to five weeks.

Donoghue told prosecution counsel Karl Finnegan that he was walking with his family towards Parnell Square East when he noticed a commotion.

He initially thought it was an argument between a man and a woman, but as he ran towards it, he saw a man with a knife in his right hand.

The man was close to a group of children and was moving the knife in a downward motion, he said.

He said he 'hit him a dig in the jaw' with his right hand clenched into a fist. 'He had to be put down, because of what he was doing,' Donoghue said.

Other people also got involved, he said, and the situation turned to 'chaos'.

During cross-examination, Bouchaker's defence counsel told the witness that he had been 'extraordinarily brave' and did 'exactly the right thing' when he boxed Bouchaker and kicked him to make sure he stayed down.

The witness agreed that Bouchaker was 'waving or stabbing with' the knife and appeared to be in a position to kill or seriously injure the children.

The trial continues before Judge Tony Hunt and a jury of nine men and three women.