Leicester Square stabbing: Man charged with attempted murder after 11-year-old girl knifed in street

13 August 2024 , 08:10

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An 11-year-old girl was found with stab wounds in the West End tourist spot ( Image: PA)

Ioan Pintaru, 32, has been charged after an 11-year-old girl was stabbed in Leicester Square and rushed to hospital. It It was initially believed that the girl’s mother had also been hurt

A man has been charged after an 11-year-old girl was stabbed in Leicester Square.

Ioan Pintaru, 32, of no fixed address, was charged with attempted murder and possession of a bladed article. He was remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later this morning.

Police were called to Leicester Square at 11.34am on Monday, 12 August after recieving reports of a stabbing. An 11-year-old girl was found with stab wounds. The child was rushed to hospital where her injuries, while serious, were assessed as non-life threatening. It was initially believed that the girl’s mother, a 34-year-old woman, was also hurt, but it was later confirmed that blood from her daughter’s injuries had been mistaken for injuries of her own.

Speaking at the time of the incident, a London Ambulance Service spokesperson said the pair had been taken to a major trauma centre. They added: "We were called at 11.36am on Monday 12 August to reports of a stabbing at Leicester Square. We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic and an incident response officer. We also dispatched members of our tactical response unit. We treated a child and an adult at the scene and took them to a major trauma centre."

A police cordon surrounded the LEGO store and in front of the M&M store ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)

A police cordon was in place following the attack and surrounded the double doors of a TWG Tea shop on Leicester Square. The cordon was beside the LEGO store and in front of the M&M store, with families and tourists standing in queues for each.

Sophia Martinez