Man charged with attempted murder after girl, 11, stabbed in Leicester Square leaving her 'seriously hurt'
13 August 2024, 06:41 | Updated: 13 August 2024, 06:55
A man has been charged with attempted murder after an 11-year-old girl was stabbed in Leicester Square on Monday.
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Ioan Pintaru, 32, was also charged with possession of a bladed article.
He was remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning.
Police said that the girl's injuries were found to be serious but that her life was not in danger.
They said at first they had mistakenly reported that the girl's mother, 34, was also hurt because she had her daughter's blood on her.
Police said earlier that they don't believe that the alleged attacker and the victims knew each other.
The Met added there was nothing to suggest the attack was terror-related, although they did not explain the suspect's motive.
They also thanked by-standers who "bravely intervened" during the attack, including a security guard at a nearby shop, who gave his name as Abdullah.
He said: "I heard a scream, at that moment I saw there was one person, roughly (in their) mid-30s or early 30s, and he was like stabbing a kid - I jumped on him, held the hand in which he was (carrying) a knife, and just put him down on the floor and just held him and took the knife away from him.
"Then a couple of more people joined as well, and we just held him until the police came, it took maybe three to four minutes for the police to arrive and then they just took him into custody."
He and his colleagues gave first aid to the child before the police joined in, he said.
"I just saw a kid getting stabbed and I just tried to save her. It's my duty to just save them."
A street entertainer who was nearby said the knifeman focused the attack on the girl, putting her in a headlock and stabbing her.
Desmond, 45, who performs as Darth Vader on the square, said: "It was so terrible, I've never seen a thing like that. I was heartbroken, I saw the woman was screaming with all her strength."
