Child care worker who risked her life to save the children
A CHILD care worker who put her own life at risk to protect children from a knifewielding attacker has been described as a ‘hero’ by family and friends.
Leanne Flynn continues to recover at a Dublin hospital this weekend from the serious neck injuries she suffered after courageously intervening to protect a group of five and six-year-olds who were attacked in Dublin city on Thursday.
A five-year-old girl who underwent emergency surgery after she was stabbed in the incident remained in critical condition last night in Dublin’s Temple Street Children’s Hospital. The other young victims, a fiveyear-old boy and a six-year-old girl, have both been discharged from Crumlin Children’s Hospital.
The childrens’ brave carer, Leanne was described as being in a serious but stable condition at Dublin’s Mater Hospital.
Fr Paul Churchill of St Joseph’s parish in Phibsboro on Dublin’s northside, who presided over Leanne’s mother’s funeral just last month, last night described her as a ‘good soul’.
He told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘It’s sad to hear that it was Leanne. I worked with her to celebrate her mother’s funeral and she came across as a very decent lady, a good soul.
‘I was thinking myself whether I would get involved to protect children, to do something for them.
‘You would hope you would intervene and try to protect people. I’d say most people instinctively would try to protect children.
‘I think this has caused us all to think of a new dimension of safeguarding children in a way that we would ever have thought we’d have to think about.
‘We prayed for Leanne and the children today and will add extra prayers for her. Someone also prayed for the man involved in the altercation thinking he may need help too.’
Leanne’s brother Jonathan hailed his sister as a hero this weekend.
In a message posted on a GoFundMe page – organised to raise money as a thank-you to those who intervened and prevented children from being fatally wounded in the unprovoked attack outside an after school care centre in Dublin’s north inner city last
Thursday – Leanne’s brother
Jonathan wrote: ‘Leanne hasn’t been able to share her story with everybody yet so I’m not gonna put up any details here but she is a hero and I’m so proud of my sister.
‘Thanks to everyone who has donated and I hope all involved fully recover.’
Officials at the boxing club where Leanne’s son Josh boxes, and where her partner Anthony Geraghty is a coach, also paid tribute.
In a message posted on social media, Cabra Boxing Club member Damien Flood wrote:
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with our club coach Anto, and our boxer Josh Geraghty, whose partner [and mother] was involved and saved numerous kids’ lives. ‘We wish her a speedy recovery.’ Dublin North inner city-based Independent Councillor, Nial Ring, yesterday said Dublin City
Council is willing to pay for sensory rooms to be installed at Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square East, the scene of Thursday’s horrific attack.
Cllr Ring added, ‘No one who knows Leanne is surprised that she got involved. She certainly stepped up to the mark and above the call of duty and the parents are so grateful for what she did.
‘Her instinct was to look after the children.’
Describing how Leanne confronted the knife-wielding attacker as she brought a group of five and six-year-olds from their classrooms to an after school care centre, an eyewitness recalled: ‘Leanne was unbelievably brave.
She threw herself across the children to protect them and she took the full brunt of it.’
Well-wishers left floral bouquets outside the Dublin school yesterday.
One message read: ‘Thinking of all the children of Choláiste Mhuire school and especially those who did not get to go home and also Leanne. I hope you recover from this.’
Cabra-based Dublin City Councillor Cieran Perry said: ‘Leanne is a local and they’re all absolute heroes because they stopped this incident from becoming much worse.’