Girl (5) stabbed in Parnell Square attack readmitted to intensive care

Child was one of three children and a care worker injured in attack in Dublin city last November

Tributes last November at the location on Parnell Square where the young girl was stabbed. Photograph: Tom Honan
Tributes last November at the location on Parnell Square where the young girl was stabbed. Photograph: Tom Honan

The five-year-old girl who was seriously injured in a stabbing outside a school on Parnell Square last November is understood to have been readmitted to intensive care.

The young girl was one of three children attacked outside Coláiste Mhuire, Parnell Square, on the afternoon of November 23rd, and suffered the most serious injuries. The other children, a boy and a girl, were discharged from hospital in November.

A care worker who was also stabbed in the attack spent more than a week in intensive care in the Mater hospital. She was then moved to a high-dependency unit and, later, to a regular ward. She was discharged from the hospital shortly before Christmas.

The five-year-old girl was in a critical condition for weeks in Temple St Hospital after the attack, with concerns for her survival. Her condition had improved and she was moved to a ward in late December.

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However, an update on Tuesday posted on an online fundraising page set up to raise money for her care said she had returned to the intensive care unit (ICU).

“We had a bit of a setback and are currently in the ICU once more,” according to the GoFundMe page Barróg do Chailín Beag (A Hug For A Little Girl), which has raised €71,649 to date.

“Bumps in the road, particularly this long one, are to be expected. Nevertheless we are still positive and hoping to get back on the ward. Fingers crossed,” it said.

Riad Bouchaker (50), of no fixed abode, was charged with three counts of attempted murder on December 21st last. He was further charged with causing serious harm to a care worker, with the assault of a man at the scene and with assault causing harm to three children. He was also charged with the possession and production of a weapon, a 36cm kitchen knife. He appeared last week via video link before Cloverhill District Court and was remanded in continuing custody.

The incident last November sparked a far-right gathering in the city in the hours after the attack, followed by riots, arson attacks, clashes with gardaí and looting of shops.

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Olivia Kelly

Olivia Kelly

Olivia Kelly is Dublin Editor of The Irish Times