Leicester Square Child Stabbing: Ioan Pintaru Charged With Attempted Murder

A man has been charged with attempted murder and held in custody in relation to the stabbing of a young child in broad daylight central London on Monday morning.

32-year-old Ioan Pintaru has been charged with attempted murder and possession of a bladed article, the Metropolitan Police stated on Tuesday. The charges follow police being called to the scene of a stabbing at Leicester Square, a popular tourist destination in central London, on Monday morning.

An 11-year-old girl had been stabbed and has serious but non-life threatening injuries. It was stated by police and the ambulance service on Monday that  a34-year-old woman, now stated to be the child’s mother, was also injured in the attack but after both received medical attention it was discovered the mother was physically unharmed and the blood on her body was her daughter’s.

The suspect, 32-year-old Pintaru, will appear at Westminster Magistrate’s Court today. Police have published nothing else about the suspect’s identity or background at the time of publication, other than that he is of no fixed address.

In line with the government’s present campaign against what it sees as irresponsible social media usage, police also appealed to the public and press not to speculate on the case. In their ‘strong’ reminder, the force said: “Nothing should be published, including on social media, which could prejudice future court proceedings.”