A man has appeared in court charged with the attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl in Leicester Square, central London.
Ioan Pintaru, 32, of no fixed address, has also been charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place following an incident in Leicester Square on Monday.
The Romanian citizen appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning and the charges were read to him through an interpreter during the ten minute hearing.
He wore a grey prison-issue sweatshirt during his appearance.
Prosecutor David Burns said a woman and her 11-year-old daughter were in Leicester Square as tourists when the defendant “approached the 11-year-old girl and stabbed her eight times”.
Members of the public intervened, the court heard.
The prosecutor added: “He was detained and searched and found a knife on his person.”
The schoolgirl was taken to hospital and is undergoing treatment.
Mr Burns said he understood that she required plastic surgery.
Police were called to Leicester Square at 11.34am on Monday following reports of a stabbing near the TWG Tea shop.
It was initially believed that the girl’s mother, a 34-year-old woman, was also hurt however it was later confirmed that blood from her daughter’s injuries had been mistaken for injuries of her own, police said.
Police said on Monday that there was no suggestion the incident was terror-related, and officers do not believe the suspect and the victims were known to each other.
Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah said: “This is a horrific incident and our thoughts are with the victims and their family. We will continue to provide support to them over the coming days and weeks.
“I would like to pay tribute to the members of the public, including staff from local businesses, who bravely intervened in this incident. They put themselves at risk and showed the best of London in doing so.”
Pintaru was remanded in custody and will next appear at the Old Bailey on September 10.
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