🔴 LEICESTER SQUARE STABBING: INDEFINITE DETENTION FOR KNIFEMAN

Ioan-Alexandru Pintaru, 33 (DOB: 17.01.1992), of no fixed address, appeared at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 16 December, where he was sentenced by the Common Serjeant of London, Judge Richard Marks KC.

The defendant had previously entered guilty pleas to charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article. Due to the acute nature of his psychosis at the time of the offence, the Crown Prosecution Service accepted that a charge of attempted murder could not be pursued as the specific intent to kill could not be legally established.

The court heard extensive details regarding the events of 12 August 2024. At approximately 11:30hrs, the young victim and her mother were departing the Lego Store in Leicester Square after purchasing gifts for family members.

The area was densely populated with tourists when Pintaru, a Romanian national and former lorry driver, selected the child entirely at random. Without warning, he approached the girl from behind, placed her in a headlock, and began to stab her repeatedly with a folding knife.

Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe KC described the assault to the court, noting that the victim initially felt a heavy weight crash into her before realising she was being stabbed.

Witnesses described Pintaru’s demeanour as "manic" and "wide-eyed," with the victim’s mother stating in her evidentiary deposition that the attacker used the weapon like a "jackhammer," striking her daughter with furious repetition.

The child sustained eight separate wounds to her face, neck, shoulder, and chest. Medical evidence indicated that the blade missed the victim’s vital arteries and brain by a margin of millimetres, a fact the prosecution described as miraculous.

The attack was brought to a halt by the intervention of a local security guard, Abdullah, 30, who was working at a nearby tea shop. Upon hearing screams, he rushed from his post and physically engaged Pintaru, managing to grasp the defendant's fist and force the weapon to the ground before kicking it out of reach.

With the assistance of two other members of the public, he restrained the assailant until Metropolitan Police officers arrived, a response time recorded at just four minutes. 

During the sentencing hearing, significant time was dedicated to the defendant's psychiatric history. It was revealed that Pintaru had been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and harboured extensive delusional beliefs, including that he was being targeted by a "network of paedophiles" and that his food was being poisoned.

He had driven to London on the morning of the attack with the specific intention of committing a violent act to ensure his incarceration, which he believed would offer him protection from his perceived persecutors. The court was told he had contacted Bedfordshire Police a month prior in a state of distress but had not engaged with the support services suggested at that time.

The impact on the victim and her family was detailed in a victim impact statement read by the prosecution.

The mother described the horror of watching what she believed was her daughter’s death, noting that the trauma has left them afraid of crowded spaces. The victim, now 13, has been left with visible scarring on her face and neck, injuries which make her self-conscious and serve as a permanent reminder of the ordeal.

Judge Marks imposed a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act, coupled with a Section 41 restriction order. This legal mechanism ensures that Pintaru cannot be released unless a mental health tribunal or the Secretary of State deems him safe, a threshold the judge noted might never be met.

In his closing remarks, the judge formally commended Abdullah for his "outstanding bravery," awarding him £1,000 and stating that without his selfless and immediate action, the young girl would almost certainly have died.