A MAN has appeared in court charged with the attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl in Leicester Square.
Ioan Pintaru, 32, is accused of attacking the child, who was visiting London with her mum on Monday afternoon.
Pintaru appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning wearing a grey prison-issue sweatshirt.
He has also been charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place, which the court heard was a steak knife.
The court was told Pintaru is a Romanian citizen of no fixed address and the charges were read to him through an interpreter during the 10-minute hearing.
Police said on Monday that there was no suggestion the incident was terror-related.
Officers do not believe the suspect and the victims were known to each other.
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, placed her into a headlock, he’s then stabbed her eight times to the body”.
He added: “She sustained wounds to the face, shoulder, wrist and neck area.
“Fortunately members of the public intervened, which prevented any further injury being made to the child.”
Mr Burns said officers were called and “found the defendant being held by the members of the public”.
The prosecutor added: “He was detained and searched and found a knife on his person.
“In relation to the complainant – she was taken to hospital and she currently resides in hospital where she’s undergoing treatment.
“I understand that she required plastic surgery for the injuries she sustained.”
Police were called to reports of the stabbing in the central London tourist spot at 11.34am on Monday.
The girl’s 34-year-old mother was initially thought to have also been hurt but blood from her daughter’s injuries had been mistaken for injuries of her own, the Metropolitan Police said.
Her daughter was taken to hospital with serious injuries that are not life-threatening, the force added.