Updated / Monday, 19 Jan 2026 18:37

Riad Bouchaker, who is charged with assaulting a care worker and attempting to murder three children at Parnell Square in Dublin just over two years ago, is fit to enter a plea and stand trial, a consultant forensic psychiatrist for the State has told a hearing at the Central Criminal Court.

The expert witness told Mr Justice Tony Hunt that despite the accused having a serious neurocognitive disorder, he is satisfied that Mr Bouchaker can be accommodated at trial, where questions can be repeated, made simpler or closed questions put to him.

The prosecution psychiatrist said he is satisfied that the accused understands the serious offences he is charged with, appreciates the different pleas available to him and can make a proper defence.

The court is assessing whether Mr Bouchaker, who is 51 and of no fixed abode, is fit to stand trial. The hearing was told before Christmas that there is “a divergence” between psychiatrists for the defence and State on that issue.

Last month, defence lawyers for the accused argued that their client was suffering from a mental disorder, namely moderate dementia, and is unfit to stand trial.

The court heard there was CCTV footage showing what appeared to be an attack on a line of children who were about to go into to their creche. Prosecuting counsel, Karl Finnegan said that when the creche manager became aware of the alleged attack on the children, she had shouted and moved to protect them but suffered a stab wound.

Mr Finnegan said four children had suffered stab wounds that day and one of them had life altering injuries. He said the scene was “one of chaos” at the time and emergency services were called.

The court has heard that the accused man has a complex medical history. He had surgery for a benign brain tumour in 2021 and had a piece of skull covering the area removed some months later due to infection. The court has heard that he also suffered a brain injury on the day of the alleged offence in November 2023 when members of the public intervened.

A consultant psychiatrist for the defence told the court she did not believe Mr Bouchaker was fit to stand trial as he was not able to understand and weigh up the plea options open to him and he had difficulties with attention and focus.

However, the State’s expert witness said he was not diminishing the gravity of the accused man’s medical history, but this was a different matter to the nature of entering a plea. He said the accused man could be kept “on target” and participate in the trial process through the use of appropriate measures, including using closed questions and repeating questions.

The State psychiatrist said that despite the accused having significant problems, he found Mr Bouchaker was able to understand choices and was capable of weighing up what had happened that day.

The case will continue tomorrow.

Mr Justice Hunt said he wanted submissions from the prosecution and the defence, as well as expert evidence in order to help him provide a rational justification for whatever conclusion he comes to.

The judge has ordered that legal representatives for the accused and the identities of the doctors giving evidence are not to be named in media reports.

Mr Bouchaker is charged with the attempted murder of two girls and one boy, as well as with assault causing serious harm to a care worker on 23 November 2023.

He is also charged with three counts of assault causing harm to two other young children and a passerby who had intervened to assist, as well as one count of the production of a knife.