An eight-year-old girl from Co Wexford suffered fatal knife injuries during a late-night violent incident at her home that also resulted in both her parents suffering wounds. The victim was named locally last night as Malika Al Katib, who died at University Hospital Waterford in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The Irish Times understands the alarm was raised via an emergency services call, at about 11.45pm on Sunday, from inside the New Ross property where the family live. Because the caller reported several people had suffered knife wounds, the Garda’s Armed Support Unit (ASU) was dispatched to the scene on William Street.
When the ASU members arrived they administered emergency treatment to the girl before she was taken to hospital by paramedics. The girl’s mother and father were also treated at the scene for their wounds.
However, while the man (34) and woman (31) were then taken to University Hospital Waterford for further medical attention, their condition was not life threatening and gardaí believe both will make a full recovery.
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The resources of a murder inquiry have been assigned to the case.
The girl’s mother is believed to be from Wexford while her husband moved to Ireland from abroad some years ago. The deceased child is believed to have sustained more than one wound though precisely how she was fatally injured remained under investigation.
New Ross Educate Together National School has confirmed Malika was one of its pupils, with principal Therese White saying the school had put in place measures to support students and staff.
“This is a terrible tragedy for the family, our school and our community. We are deeply saddened by these events. Our sympathy and thoughts are with family and friends,” she said.
“The school has implemented our critical incident management plan and we are in receipt of support from the National Educational Psychological Service. They have been with us all day supporting and advising teachers in their efforts to assist students at this time.
“Our teachers are helping students to deal with this tragic event. We will be sharing information with parents today around how they can support their children at this difficult time. We would ask you to respect our privacy at this difficult time.”
The scene on William Street was sealed off throughout Monday as Garda technical experts examined inside the property and the street outside. Garda Headquarters said a senior investigating officer had been appointed to manage the inquiry by gardaí based in New Ross station.
Local Independent councillor John Dwyer said there is devastation in the area.
“We’re left numb at the news that started to emerge in the early hours of yesterday morning,” he said.
“Word started to filter through. I got a call very early yesterday morning from my daughter, who’s a mother herself, asking me had I heard and was aware of the circumstances. And from that point forward, the phone never stopped ringing until I got a very distressing phone call from a young woman who was closely related to the child. And I will never forget that phone call,” Cllr Dwyer told Newstalk Breakfast..
“That person was desperately, desperately upset. It was one of the most horrific phone calls I’ve ever had in my life.
“It took time to make sense of that phone call. But when I did, the realisation hit me that many, many people in New Ross will have known this child and would have known the mother, who is from the locality. You know, there are no words that could adequately describe how people are feeling.
“There’s a real sense of shock. New Ross is a relatively small place. Things like this don’t happen in towns like ours. But unfortunately, yesterday the nightmare began for us and for that poor family.”
Cllr Dwyer welcomed the critical incident plan put in place at the girl’s school. “I can’t imagine how all those young children must be feeling and how their parents are attempting to deal with having to explain the horrific circumstances of how that poor child died.”
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