A young girl has “lifelong and life-limiting” brain and other injuries as a result of a stabbing incident at Parnell Square, a jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard.The child was aged five when she suffered severe injuries during the incident on November 23rd, 2023. Dr Louise Baker, a paediatrician who treated the girl after she was admitted to hospital on November 23rd, 2023, said she has a lifelong, life-limiting severe disability.She will need a wheelchair for the rest of her life, needs to wear splints to stretch her muscles, is at risk of spinal curve and scoliosis and of further episodes of gut dystonia and pain, is non-verbal and cannot communicate her wants and needs, she said.The child has no safe swallow, no selective control over her muscles and will need 24-hour care for the rest of her life with no independent skills, she said. The girl was a previously healthy five-year-old who had a typically developing brain before suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest following a stabbing injury, Baker said. That led to her suffering a severe acquired brain injury, she said.The child’s brain suffered dramatically due to the lack of blood supply to her brain following her cardiac arrest, said Baker. The child was experiencing seizures and dystonia even as medics were trying to treat her in intensive care, she said. As she woke up in ICU, it was obvious she had severe dystonia which is extremely painful and required lots of medication. As well as muscular dystonia, the child also suffered gut dystonia requiring that feeding be stopped for a time because it was so painful. Gut dystonia will be a lifelong risk for her, she said.Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder that is characterised by involuntary muscle contractions.Before the incident, the child was “reaching all her milestones”.The child was in Temple Street hospital for nine months, needs 24-hour care, needs to be hoisted, needs a wheelchair and will need a “huge amount” of equipment going forward, the court was told. Baker was the last witness for the prosecution on the 12th day of the trial at the Central Criminal Court of Riad Bouchaker (52), a native of Algeria of no fixed abode. The jury has been sent away until Monday while legal discussion continues in their absence.Bouchaker denies eight charges: attempting to murder three children on Parnell Square East on November 23rd, 2023; assault causing harm to two other children and a passerby who intervened; assault causing serious harm to Leanne Flynn; and producing a 36cm kitchen knife capable of inflicting serious injury. The jury has heard two psychiatrists had agreed Bouchaker’s prior history of cognitive impairment and seizures before November 2023 was not sufficiently severe to give rise to a defence of not guilty but reason of insanity.They were told by defence counsel that “brave and necessary” interventions of members of the public at Parnell Square led to escalation of the severity of Bouchaker’s cognitive impairment. The psychiatrists disagreed on the extent of the impact of this on his ability to face trial, and the judge had found him fit to plead with the assistance of accommodations.In evidence on Thursday, Dr Yvonne O’Dowd of Forensic Science Ireland told prosecuting counsel Karl Finnegan she dealt with exhibits received from gardaí in November 2023 in relation to the Parnell Square incident. A DNA profile created from the handle of a knife matched the DNA of Bouchaker, she said. DNA profiles created from blood-staining on the blade of the knife matched the DNA of two girls – who are subject of the attempted murder charges – and the DNA of Flynn.Prof Anne Brannigan, a consultant surgeon, told Finnegan she provided a report to gardaí in June 2025 regarding Flynn, one of her patients.Flynn was a major trauma admission to the Mater hospital on November 23rd, 2023.She had a major stab wound on her lower back, her diaphragm had ruptured, her left lung was in her chest and her spleen was removed because the splenic injury was “not salvageable”. Removal of the spleen was a life-saving procedure necessary to stop bleeding and going into cardiac arrest. Flynn was discharged on December 20th, she said. She expected Flynn would continue to suffer psychological issues, the surgical wound increased her risk of a hernia, having no spleen is a significant issue, especially for a young person, and she was at risk of recurrence of a diaphragmatic hernia. Dr Aoife Mahony, a consultant paediatrician, told prosecuting counsel Carol Doherty she began treating the girl in November 2025 and was aware she had suffered a penetrating chest injury and a hypoxic brain injury, due to the failure of oxygen to reach the brain for a period of time.She cannot stand or walk independently and is fully dependent on her carers for daily living, Mahony said. The child cannot communicate verbally, can blink yes and no, suffers severe dystonia and is fed through the stomach. She is on nine regular medications for management of her conditions. She attends a school for children with complex needs and will require lifelong therapies.Secondary to her brain injury, she has a neurological disability that will be lifelong, she said. She will make gradual gains but, unfortunately, as she grows, growth is a challenge which means other difficulties can arise in the future. All of this was due to the child undergoing serious harm, the witness said.