Man charged with Longford knife attack says he was defending himself

Jurisdiction has been refused at Longford District Court in the case of a man charged with two section 3 assaults and possession of a knife during an incident in Longford town last July.

Youssef Azeddou (26), of 209 Richmond Court, Richmond Street, appeared last Tuesday before Judge Fiona Brennan who, upon hearing the facts of the case, refused jurisdiction.

New charges added to the indictment last week included affray with one other person, namely one of the injured parties, and the production of a knife during the course of the affray.

Mr Azeddou’s reply to the charge was “he attacked me, I was defending myself, there are cameras showing everything”.

The court heard how, on July 2 last year, Gardaí attended at Richmond Court direct provision centre, where they spoke with witnesses to the incident.

The incident was also caught on CCTV, the court heard.

A security guard on the scene had received lacerations to his arm, while another defendant also received lacerations from a red-handled knife held by the defendant.

The knife was recovered at the scene, Sergeant Mark Mahon, for the state, told the court.

Judge Brennan refused jurisdiction in the case and Mr Azeddou is due to reappear on June 11, 2024, for service of a book of evidence.