Girl stabbed to death in Parnell Square attack released from hospital after 281 days – The Irish Times

A young girl who was stabbed along with several others in a knife attack in Dublin city centre late last year has been released from hospital.

The girl, who was five years old at the time of the incident on November 23 in Parnell Square, was in a critical condition and fighting for her life.

Last Friday, after 281 days at Temple Street Children's Hospital, the girl and her family began a “new chapter” of their ongoing rehabilitation.

In an update on the fundraising website gofundme.com, her family said today: “Today we begin a new chapter in our loved one's rehabilitation, or as we call it, 'the gym.' We hope she will be able to swallow food, move her arms and legs more purposefully, and make more sounds.”

Last month, her parents said their lives had been “turned upside down” by what happened to their daughter.

On the GoFundMe page “Barróg do Chailín Beag” (A hug for a little girl), they wrote that their day had started “normally”.

They continued: “It started out like a normal day (rush out the door, catch the train, drop the kid off at daycare, run to work). At 1:45 p.m. I got the worst call I could have ever gotten: 'Something happened! Your daughter was stabbed in front of the school.'

“I ran over and saw a horrific sight. I saw my little girl lying on the floor. Doctors and paramedics were trying to get her heart beating and air into her lungs. She was brought back to life by the amazing team at Temple Street Children's Hospital.”

The family said some people are wondering why her recovery has taken so long and if she will ever be the same little girl she was before.

“The human brain is a very complex organ. If it is deprived of oxygen for too long, the body suffers. The longer it takes to get it working again, the longer it will take to restore its functionality,” they noted.

They emphasized that their “little warrior” had several advantages: she was young, was a healthy girl before the attack, had “a great team working with her, a loving family, loving friends and prayers from everywhere.”

“She has improved so much in this time. We have learned the importance of patience and perseverance. One hour became one day at a time. Now we are doing one week at a time. Soon it will be one month at a time. There is no rush. We take the blessings as they come.”

The girl was able to go home for a day to a new, adapted home in a new neighborhood.

Riad Bouchaker (50) is currently on trial. He is accused of three counts of attempted murder, manufacture and possession of a kitchen knife, three counts of assault and one count of assault causing serious bodily harm.

Two other young children and a carer were injured in the stabbing outside Coláiste Mhuire in Parnell Square. Their carer was seriously injured and spent more than a month in the Mater Hospital. She has recovered well and continues to attend medical appointments.

Neither those injured in the incident nor their families have spoken publicly about what happened.