Less than a day after the girl was hurt in an attack in Leicester Square, Ioan Pintaru, 32, was charged with attempted murder and possessing a bladed article.
An 11-year-old girl was stabbed in central London, a man has been charged. Fortunately members of the public intervened, which prevented any further injury being made to the child," Burns said.The girl’s mother was not wounded, though she initially appeared to be because she was covered in her daughter’s blood, police said.
Pintaru, a Romanian citizen, also faces a knife charge.
He appeared at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court wearing a grey tracksuit and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.
Pintaru was not asked to enter any pleas and was remanded in custody ahead of his next court hearing at the Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, on Sep 10.
The stabbing occurred during a recent rise in knife crime in Britain, which is on edge after days of violence as crowds spouting anti-immigrant and Islamophobic slogans clashed with police in dozens of cities and towns.The girl was hospitalized and required plastic surgery for wounds to her face, shoulder, wrist and neck area, prosecutor David Burns said.
Authorities haven’t offered a motive for the attack, but police said that there was no suggestion the stabbing was terror-related and they don’t believe the suspect knew the mother or daughter.
The attack happened around 11:30 a.m. on Monady in Leicester Square, a tourism hot spot, outside a shop selling tea.
An employee of the tea shop and other bystanders jumped on the suspect and held him to the ground until police arrived. A steak knife was recovered.
“Fortunately members of the public intervened, which prevented any further injury being made to the child,” Burns said.
The girl’s mother wasn’t wounded, though she initially appeared to be because she was covered in her daughter’s blood, police said.
Pintaru, 32, a Romanian citizen, who also faces a knife charge, was held in custody. He was ordered to appear on Sept. 10 at the Central Criminal Court known as the Old Bailey.
