Overview
- Ioan-Alexandru Pintaru, 33, received a Section 37 hospital order with a Section 41 restriction at the Old Bailey, allowing indefinite detention in secure care.
- He pleaded guilty in October to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing a knife, as the Crown offered no evidence on attempted murder based on psychiatric findings.
- The random attack on August 12, 2024 occurred as the Australian child left the LEGO Store in Leicester Square, where she was put in a headlock and stabbed eight times.
- Bystanders, including TWG Tea security guard Abdullah, disarmed and restrained Pintaru while a passing nurse treated the girl’s wounds before police arrived within minutes.
- Court evidence detailed a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and extensive delusional beliefs, with experts saying he selected the victim at random and held prior psychiatric admissions in Romania.