A homeless man accused of attempting to murder an 11-year-old Australian girl in Leicester Square by grabbing her by the head and stabbing her eight times has appeared in court.
Romanian Ioan Pintaru, 32, is accused of stabbing the tourist who was in the UK on a dream trip with her mother to see Taylor Swift perform at Wembley.
He appeared at the Old Bailey today charged with attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
Pintaru did not enter a plea, but Judge Mark Lucraft, KC, Recorder of London, set a provisional trial date for May 6.
The homeless man is a Romanian citizen and has a four-year-old son who lives in Manchester.
Romanian Ioan Pintaru, 32 (pictured), is accused of stabbing a tourist who was in the UK on a dream trip.
A police officer stands near a cordoned off area following a double stabbing in Leicester Square on August 12, 2024
A court artist’s sketch of Ioan Pintaru appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 13 August
Police officers stand outside a cordoned-off area in Leicester Square, London, yesterday.
No Romanian interpreter had been hired for the hearing, but Pintaru was able to confirm his name and date of birth.
Pintaru will appear again for a new case management hearing on January 17.
Police were called at 11:34am on 12 August to reports of an attack after members of the public accosted Pintaru.
Pintaru allegedly held the girl in a headlock while he stabbed her in the face, shoulder and neck.
The girl suffered multiple stab wounds and was taken to hospital with “serious but non-life-threatening injuries.”
It was initially feared that the girl’s mother had also been stabbed, but it was discovered that she was stained with her daughter’s blood.
The girl and her mother were able to go see Taylor Swift after the attack before leaving the UK.