A man who “furiously and repeatedly” stabbed an 11-year-old girl during a random attack in London’s Leicester Square has been detained indefinitely.
The Australian child was approached by Ioan Pintaru, 33, after she left the Lego store around 11.30am on 12 August 2024 with her mother. The pair had been buying presents for their family while on holiday.
The defendant placed the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in a headlock and stabbed her eight times in the face, neck and chest.
The victim’s mother, who watched proceedings at the Old Bailey on Tuesday over a videolink, told police she saw Pintaru “furiously and repeatedly” attacking her daughter.
In a witness statement read out in court, she described his arm as moving “like a jackhammer”, using “as much force as he could”.
The mother added she thought he was “trying to kill her” and he was “wide-eyed and manic like nothing was going to stop him”.
Pintaru originally faced an attempted murder charge, but the prosecution decided his psychosis at the time of the offence meant it could not be proven he had an intent to kill, the court heard.
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The defendant, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty in October to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a knife.
He was sentenced on Tuesday to a hospital order under section 37 of the Mental Health Act and a restriction order under section 41 – meaning he can be detained indefinitely.
‘There is a shadow over them’
Judge Richard Marks KC said: “A victim impact statement from (the victim’s) mother described how when the incident unfolded in front of her, she believed with absolute certainty that she was watching her daughter being killed in front of her, and how she relives that moment over and over.”
The mother told of a “profound” emotional and psychological harm which has resulted in her “constantly scanning for danger”, the judge went on.
“She feels… a deep sense of guilt for not having been able to protect her daughter and she finds it extremely difficult to allow her independence,” he continued.
“There is a shadow over them that was not there before.”
Victim ‘thought she was going to die’
The girl described in an interview with police how she felt something crash into her from behind and hit her on the head, said prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe KC.
“She felt the defendant’s arm wrap itself around her,” Ms Stonecliffe said.
“His weight was on her. She said in the interview that at that moment she thought she was going to die.
“She felt the defendant stab her in the face and felt the blood from the wound running down her face. She was understandably terrified.”
Saved by strangers
The attack was stopped when a security guard, named only as Abdullah, who was working at nearby shop TWG Tea, intervened.
Abdullah grabbed the hand holding the knife, leading to Pintaru dropping the weapon, which the guard managed to kick away.
Abdullah and two other men were able to pin Pintaru down before police arrived minutes later and arrested him.
The judge commended Abdullah for his bravery and ordered that he be rewarded with £1,000 from public funds.
A nurse who was walking past stopped to help stem the 11-year-old’s bleeding.
The court heard the girl, now 13, has recovered physically from her wounds but “invisible scars” remain.
Ms Stonecliffe said the girl “is deeply conscious of her scars” and that “the psychological effects of this incident will remain with (her) for the rest of her life”.
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Defendant ‘believed he was being followed’
In assessments after the attack, Pintaru told one psychiatrist he had not wanted to commit the offence but believed he was being followed and that the only way to save himself was to be sent to prison, the prosecutor said.
Pintaru, in the dock with what appeared to be three health workers, had previously been admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Romania, the court heard.
The court was told Pintaru became upset in his interview with the police, especially when officers told him they were going to show him pictures of the injuries he inflicted.
He is said to have put his head in his hands, cried and said “no” to the prospect of viewing CCTV footage of the attack.
