Latest: Three-year-old boy stabbed to death in Dublin apartment and his mother both named
The boy stabbed to death in Dublin and his mother, who is in hospital for knife wounds, have been named.
The three-year-old has been named as Omar Omran, while his mother, 42-year-old Maha Al-Adheem, is recovering in St James’ Hospital after surgery.
Local Cllr Ruairi McGinley has expressed his condolences after three-year-old boy was found dead at a Dublin apartment.
He said that while the family wasn't well known, they were liked by their neighbours.
“Obviously people are very upset to think that a child... has been killed in such tragic circumstances,” he said.
“People really are really taken aback because there was no warning that anything of this nature would happen.”
Kind gestures of sympathy to the little boy, murdered in South Dublin last night. One child brought a little green car, as a mark of respect pic.twitter.com/E3l48hfQij
— Zara King (@ZaraKing) July 11, 2017
Vivienne, who lives across the road from the family's apartment, said it is all hard to take in.
“It’s just heartbreaking when I see the little teddy bear and the candle and all the forensics,” she said.
“It’s just something you don’t expect to look out your front window and see this, you know?
“I can just say I’m really sorry for the family and we’re all sort of stunned – we don’t know what to say.”
The body of a child stabbed to death at a Dublin apartment has been removed from the scene as technical and forensic examinations continue in the apartment where the three-year-old boy was found dead.
A woman in her 40s, reported to be the child’s mother and a medic originally from the Middle East, was found seriously injured in the apartment at the same time.
Investigating gardai have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
They urged anyone who was in the area of Poddle Park between 5pm on Sunday and 7pm on Monday to contact them at Crumlin Garda Station.
A small teddy bear and candles were among the tributes left at the gates to the complex in Poddle Park, Kimmage, Dublin, where the incident happened on Monday night.
The State Pathologist’s office is expected to lead examinations at the scene of the incident, supported by Garda forensic experts, and a post-mortem on the child is to take place later.
It is understood gardai have not identified anyone else they wish to interview in relation to the incident.
The woman is believed to have been living in the Riverside apartments for about three years.
A number of tributes have been left outside the Riverside Apartments in Kimmage where a three-year-old boy was stabbed and died.
The boy is understood to have suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at an apartment in the Poddle Park area around 7pm yesterday evening.
The Garda Technical Bureau have arrived at the scene of last nights fatal stabbing in Dublin.
A woman in her 40s, believed to be the child’s mother, is also in a serious condition in hospital. She is said to have also received knife injuries and it is believed she works in a Dublin hospital.
It is believed the woman and child were Iranian and had been living in the area for some time.
A toy giraffe has been tied to the gates of the complex, also leaving a note that simply asks ’why?’.
The nature of the inquiry is still unclear but the incident has been described by the Garda press office as a homicide investigation.
Scene in Kimmage where a child was discovered deceased with suspected stab wounds. Number of #garda present at scene pic.twitter.com/1hDAYenEIq
— Robin Schiller (@11SchillRob) July 10, 2017
It is not known if Gardaí will be looking for anyone else in connection with the boy’s death.
It is understood that Gardaí had to force entry at the Riverside apartments on arrival.
Gardaí are still on site to carry out a technical examination of the scene and an incident room has been established at Crumlin Garda Station.
A teddy bear left at the scene in Kimmage following the fatal stabbing of a three-year-old boy pic.twitter.com/yS5VO8ClBu
— Robin Schiller (@11SchillRob) July 10, 2017
Gardaí have appealed to neighbours or anyone with information to contact them.
Sinn Fein councillor Ray McHugh was at the scene of the incident for several hours after the news broke and again this morning, talking to residents in the apartment complex and local people.
"They are really shocked, in disbelief," he said.
"They were bringing flowers and candles and teddy bears. It’s just that it’s a three-year-old kid. It’s tragic.
"The community up there are great, salt of the earth people. The apartments are very quiet.
"And I was talking to a few of the residents there who knew the lady to see.
"She was quiet but very pleasant and would say hello. She seemed very pleasant, they said, and wouldn’t pass you, although she kept to herself."
Lorraine Leon, who lives locally and had spoken to the woman while she was with her son, recalled walking with the woman and her child from the apartments into Kimmage.
"Really and truly she was mad about him," she told RTE radio.
"The whole conversation that day all she talked about was him. He does this and he does that and now he’s sitting up. Everything is about him. (She was) mad about him."
